Lady Cougars Into Final Four
The 2020-21 season has already been one for the history books for the Piedmont Academy varsity girls basketball team.
The Lady Cougars (21-3 overall) have a regular season region title and a region tournament championship to their credit. And now, for the first time in school history, the program is in the Final Four.
Piedmont defeated Augusta Prep 61-32 last Friday in the GISA Class AA state quarterfinals. The Lady Cougars will now face Westwood on Thursday in the GISA Class AA semifinals in Americus at Georgia Southwestern University.
In the quarterfinal win, which was played in Macon, the Lady Cougars got 32 points from Marissa Holder. The eighth grader connected for seven 3-pointers and made four additional field goals. Holder was also 3-for-3 at the foul line.
“I am so excited at having the opportunity to continue to play for a state championship,” coach Michael Wilson said. “I think it speaks volumes as to how hard the girls have worked this season and over the past couple of years. I think we beat Augusta Prep the same way we’ve been winning games this year. We moved the basketball around offensively and got some good looks inside and were able to turn turnovers into baskets and then Marissa was on fire.”
The performance by Holder has shown the sky is the limit for her before her high school career is done.
“For an eighth grader to have a game like she had is amazing,” Wilson said. “Her court presence is far beyond her years and having an additional ballhandler on the court has been huge this year. Having someone who can score like she is capable of is irreplaceable. The things she can do a person can’t coach. All we need to do is figure out how to get her the looks she needs.” Holder’s play has also opened up other options for the team.
Against Augusta Prep, it was Maddie Waddelton, Wilson said.
“In the region championship it was Jayden Young and, throughout the year, Sydney Stroud, Haley Ann Frank and Hannah Tyler have all benefited from the attention Marissa demands,” the coach said. “We have six good basketball players and so far, it has been impossible to focus on one and take the rest of the team out. Even teams that have played us in a triangle-and-two and tried to take Sydney and Haley Ann out of games haven’t been successful because of the others. We play as a team, we play our roles and we play hard. That’s all I can ask.”
Waddleton added 12 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Frank finished with seven points. Hannah Tyler contributed four points while Jayden Young, Abby Arnold, Haiden Crews and Kyle Keck all scored two points.
Piedmont led 13-10 after the first quarter against Augusta Prep but had moved in front 34-10 by halftime.
“We started out a little too pumped up I think, Wilson said. “We settled down late in the first quarter and moved the basketball well and picked their defense apart. Defensively, we used our speed and it bothered them and sped them offensively. Going into the game our game plan was to make them play faster than they wanted to on offense because we felt they would struggle shooting if we did that. On offense, we preached to make the extra pass on offense and if we moved the ball how we can we felt confident we would get open looks. The girls executed the plan nearly to perfection and it worked out for us.”
Going into the quarterfinal matchup, Piedmont’s coach was concerned about his opponent’s height.
“I was concerned if we tried to force passes on offense or play on our heels on defense, we would run the risk of them hanging around and having a chance to win,” Wilson said. “It shows our maturity that we were able to come out and put them away like we did.”
The Lady Cougars have been preparing this week for the semifinal contest against Westwood.
“Westwood is a very good basketball team,” Wilson said. “They’ve won five state titles and played for seven in the last eight years. None of what they have done in the past matters and we know that. We also know we have to play our best game to win, but it’s the semifinals and that is true for the other three teams in it as well.”
In scouting the next opponent, Wilson finds few weaknesses.
“They have three very good guards who do different things very well,” the coach said. “They like to drive to the basket and look for the attempt or to kick it to their shooters on the outside. Defensively, we have to be active with our feet and not allow dribble penetration. We need to limit them to one look. They rebound well and have some size on this inside.
Offensively, we have to take care of the basketball and play with under control. I believe we can move the ball around on them like we have on other teams if we are smart with the basketball. If we get careless and fall into bad habits it is going to be very difficult to beat them.”
Despite his opponent’s strengths, Wilson said he believes his team matches up well.
“We are one of the few teams as athletic as they are,” he said. “I think it will be a true battle. We are going to focus in practice on the importance of winning each possession. Games like this take almost as much mental focus as physical fight. We can’t allow our minds to wonder or get tired. I think if either team loses focus, they will find themselves in a hole quickly.”
While the Piedmont girls have already made program history, there remains more to accomplish, including the ultimate goal of a state championship.
“I expect this to be a physical game and we have to keep our composure,” Wilson said. “In the end, the team that can stay mentally tougher will probably win the game. There’s going to be some battles under the basket and I expect the referees will let us play and that’s fine. We have to realize if we are allowed to play so will Westwood. I think both teams prefer games when we can get after the opponent defensively.”
In many ways the Lady Cougars are facing the top program from recent seasons.
“I think what Westwood has done the last decade is amazing,” Wilson said. “They deserve a lot of respect for the program they’ve built. On the flipside, I’m not sure many people expect us to win and I like that role. I’m biased but I wouldn’t overlook us. We are going to stand toe-to-toe with them and give them our best. We have nothing to lose and we will go out and play like that.”
The coach said he believes his team is as good as any small school program in the state, regardless of association.
“We have a group of girls who have been at Piedmont since they were in elementary school for the most part and in today’s world of high school athletics that doesn’t happen very often,” Wilson said. “This group has great chemistry and are good. Win or lose it doesn’t matter. We are going to play hard and show folks what Piedmont basketball is. However, make no mistake, we are going down there to win.”
Thursday’s semifinal game is set to begin at 1 p.m. in Americus. The winner will meet the survivor of the Brentwood-Southwest Georgia semifinal contest for the state championship.