Piedmont Boys Stay Busy, Earn Two Victories

Piedmont Academy’s varsity boys basketball team more than held its own against visiting Furtah Prep on Jan. 7.

The Cougars pushed the two-time state champion to the limit before falling 64-56 in overtime. The game was tied at 54 after regulation but Furtah Prep used a 10-2 run in the overtime to secure the victory.

Piedmont was paced by a 24-point performance by Ryan Holder which included two three-pointers. Holder has already passed the 700-point mark for his career.

Caleb Coffey added 12 points while Tate Marks scored nine and Jackson Welch added seven points.

The game was close throughout. The teams were tied at 15 after the first quarter with Furtah Prep holding a two-point advantage at halftime.

“We were coming off a rough Christmas break,” coach Will Johnson said.

“We went back to work and re-focused. To battle the two-time defending state champion like we did says a lot of about our team. No one in the GISA has beaten Furtah the last two years. We played a great game against them and got it to overtime.”

The coach said some missed free throws and costly turnovers proved to be a factor.

“We do have to learn how to win these types of games,” Johnson said. “In our region no one is going to give you a win. I will say we were not intimidated by their size.”

Last Thursday the Cougars fell to Young Americans 79-73 at home. Holder and Marks provided the one-two punch offensively with 31 and 29 points respectively.

Coffey finished with six points while Jackson Welch and Luke Welch both scored two points.

“It was a quick turnaround after the overtime game,” Johnson said. “It was a great offensive battle. They have some great shooters. Ryan and Tate held their own and had huge performances.”

Piedmont was down nine going into the fourth quarter and battled back to tie the contest in the final minute.

“We didn’t do the little things well enough even though overall we played a solid game,” Johnson said.

The Cougars’ coach said his team needs to make sure it does things like boxing out on free throws.

“We are cutting down on our turnovers,” he said. “Many times two or three possessions can cost you a game.”

The boys got back on the winning side Friday with a convincing 69-32 home victory against region for LaGrange Academy. Holder led the team with 16 points while Payton Wallace scored 15.

Luke Welch also finished with double figures with 11 points. Coffey (six points), Marks (five points), David Bishop (five points), Spencer Carter (four points), Ethan Brewer (three points), Jackson Welch (two points) and Brody Anderson (one point) all contributed offensively.

The win Friday improved Piedmont to 3-3 in region play. The Cougars stepped out of region competition on Saturday defeating Briarwood Academy on the road 69-32 and now sit at 5-5 overall.

Eleven Piedmont players contributed to the scorebook including Luke Welch with 20. Jackson Welch added 12 points and Wallace and Holder both scored nine. Coffey added four points while Jayce Wood, Anderson and Marks finished with three each.

Bradley Greenwood, Mason Mize and Cole Wade each scored two points against Briarwood.

“We had four games last week,” Johnson said. “It was good to get two big wins on Friday and Saturday. We were able to play a lot of people and let our starters rest some. I was worried about how we would do Saturday going to Briarwood for a non-region game in the afternoon.

Piedmont will play at Young Americans today and host Oak Mountain on Friday. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m. The team will then host Briarwood Saturday at 5 p.m.