Lady Cougars Earn Key Program Win
Piedmont Academy varsity girls basketball coach Michael Wilson was not about to downplay the significance of his team’s victory in Alabama on Monday.
The Lady Cougars (5-1) defeated Glenwood (Ala.) 65-61 as part of the Border Wars holiday tournament. Marissa Holder paced Piedmont with 19 points while Sydney Stroud scored 13 and Haley Ann Frank added 11 points.
Maddie Waddleton just missed finishing in double figures with nine points.
“It was a great all-around win,” coach Michael Wilson said. “To win in a foreign gym against arguably the best team we’ve played since I’ve been here, says a lot. If it’s not the best win for the girls program then it’s a top five easily. Glenwood is a great team.”
The Lady Cougars scored 40 points in the first half to lead by 15 at the break.
“I was happy with our energy,” Wilson said. “That’s why we won. We jumped on them early and they weren’t ready for it. They couldn’t handle our speed. They have three girls six feet and we knew our only change was to play fast and aggressively.”
Hanna Tyler added six key points and Teagan Satterfield contributed five key points.
“We were able to shoot the basketball very well in the first half,” Wilson said. “We knew the second half would be a battle and we handled their run and held on. It was fun to be a part of a game like that and I hope this propels us on. We are really fun to watch play when we play fast.”
The coach said he believes the win will be a big confidence boost for his players.
“I really think we found out how good we can be,” Wilson said. “We still have a lot of work left to do and some things to fix, but if we keep moving ahead one game at a time we will be in great shape.”
Glenwood’s Jasmine Burts scored a game-high 30 points. It was the first loss of the season for the Lady Gators, who are now 9-1.
Piedmont defeated Lee-Scott Academy (Ala.) on Tuesday 62-42.
“I am proud of the girls,” Wilson said. “They responded after a tough game with great effort. We didn’t shoot as well from the outside but we didn’t get discouraged. We adjusted to what we were struggling with and found success in different ways offensively.
Frank finished with 15 points while Holder added 13 and Stroud contributed 12 points. Waddleton totaled nine points and Tyler scored eight points. Jayden Young scored three points and Satterfield finished with two.
Lee-Scott Academy used a man-to-man defense but the Lady Cougars countered with good movement which resulted in several layups.
“Defensively, we struggled early because we were a little leg weary, Wilson said. “Our depth helped and everyone contributed. I think that was the difference in the second half. We went to the bench early and we got key minutes on defense from Haiden, Dakota, Abby, Mallory and Bailey. We tell the girls that every minute counts and is important and they made theirs count. It was A true team win. We played two very good and well coached teams in a foreign environment. It’s something for this team to be proud of.”
The Lady Cougars will host Creekside Christian Academy Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m.