Lady Cougars Earn First Win of Season

Piedmont Academy’s varsity girls basketball team earned a region win Friday in its home contest against Brandon Hall.

The Lady Cougars (1-2 overall) took a 36-21 victory as Hannah Tyler scored 13 points in the region contest. Jayden Young (8 points), Sydney Stroud (six points), Haley Ann Frank (four points), Haiden Crews (three points) and Raleigh Lofton (two points) all contributed in the balanced offensive output.

Frank also had a standout defensive effort with eight rebounds, eight deflections, one steal, one block and an assist. Stroud had seven steals, five rebounds and two assists.

Piedmont was in a close game with region foe Oak Mountain on the road Saturday before falling 42-37. Stroud led the team in that contest with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“I was pleased with a lot of what we were able to do over the weekend,” said coach Michael Wilson. “We are still in the phase of identifying new roles but we are playing with great effort and intensity. We have got to finish games better. We missed 10 uncontested baskets against Brandon Hall in the second half alone.”

The Lady Cougars fall behind 11-3 to Oak Mountain before battling back to take the lead going into the fourth quarter.

Piedmont could not hold on for the win, its coach said, due to missed open looks at the basket.

“If we keep doing what we are doing in practice then our attempts will fall and we will be fine,” Wilson said. “I know the players are frustrated right now but they are working.”

Stroud has been one of the standouts for the Lady Cougars early in the new season.

“She is doing a great job of controlling the offense and making great decisions with the basketball,” her coach said. “She is not forcing anything.”

Tyler has also been a key player for the team.

“Hannah has really stepped up her game,” Wilson said. “She is a very good shooter and it’s exactly what we need. She made some big attempts for us this weekend and it helped to open up the zone for our post players. Now we just need to take advantage of a less congested post area.”

Tyler scored seven points on Saturday against Oak Mountain while also compiling two rebounds, two steals and an assist. Young finished with five points, three steals and two assists while Maddie Waddleton added four points, five rebounds and a steal. Madison Johnson added two points.

Frank had three points, four steals, five assists and four rebounds at Oak Mountain.

“We have some time now between games and I’m glad because we can take the next couple of weeks to focus on the things we need to do to get better,” Wilson said. “We need to get in better shape so we can utilize our speed on defense and create the tempo we need to have in order to be successful. We are going to be a much better team if we can limit our half court possession and play more up-tempo and make our layups in the open court.”