Lady Cougars Clear Big Hurdle
The third time was the charm for the Piedmont Academy Lady Cougars basketball team.
Despite its successful play this season, the Lady Cougars had not been able to defeat Central Fellowship in two tries. The third matchup proved to be the one Piedmont had been working for.
The Lady Cougars defeated CFCA 59-49 last Friday in a home matchup.
Piedmont used a 23-13 run to close out the game and record the victory.
We were able to really focus and game plan for CFCA this time,” Lady Cougars coach Michael Wilson said. “They are a unique team with their size and speed and we made a few adjustments defensively that we don’t normally do and were able to frustrate them a little on offense. We focused a lot of attention on the importance of getting in a good rebounding position against them because we felt we could get them in a little bit of foul trouble if we did. Those two little things made the difference. We feel we are as good as anyone and the girls took it a little personally that they beat us twice.”
It was another strong performance by senior Marissa Holder who scored 27 points with 17 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.
“We came out as focused as we have all year and pulled out a good win against a quality opponent,” Wilson said. “In all honesty, we missed five easy layups in the first quarter or it wouldn’t have been that close. But, that’s on us and it allows for us to continue to have great teaching and coaching moments with these girls.”
Sarah Ellen Stroud added 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Emily Whitwell scored 11 points with five boards, two assists and two steals.
“I have always said this group of seniors take any challenge and won’t back down.
Wilson said. “They meet every challenge posed to them by us as coaches or opponents on the court. They have repeatedly done this over the years and ultimately their grit and ability to execute when it matters has been a cornerstone of our successes. I have the utmost confidence in this team when the pressure mounts. We respond better than any team I’ve seen.”
Kylee Keck finished with eight points Friday with eight total rebounds, three steals and an assist.
The Lady Cougars had a quick turnaround with a trip to face Augusta Prep Saturday. In the end, it was a convincing 72-21 victory for Piedmont.
The outcome was all but decided by halftime.
“We carried the momentum over and played a really good game against Augusta Prep,” Wilson said. “They are struggling but we focused on our half court offense and moving the ball and being unselfish and as a result we shot better than we have all year. We hit 19-of-40 3-point attempts and regardless of the opponent that’s hard to do. We took attempts that were in rhythm. We didn’t force anything. Games like that you can create bad habits and I thought the plan was executed about as perfectly as one can expect. I was very pleased. Everyone got to play and that’s always good.”
Holder scored 34 points and had eight rebounds and seven assists. Keck finished with two points, four rebounds and three assists.
“I think Marissa, Kylee and Sarah Ellen are all playing well,” their coach said. “They are taking the right looks and not forcing bad ones up right now. When two or more are on, it’s usually a good night.”
Other players are also playing key roles.
“I feel with Emily Whitwell continuing to get more comfortable on the court ,and Teagan Hinson back healthy, we are going to cause problems with our defense and ultimately, that’s where our scoring begins,” Wilson said. “We are looking to push the basketball and challenge the other team to be able to play at our pace. If we can control the tempo we usually play well. “
Region play began Tuesday for Piedmont at Tattnall Square Academy in Macon with Piedmont earning a 70-62 win.
A 15-7 run in the fourth quarter helped secure the victory. Holder had 39 points with 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals. Stroud and Keck both added nine points. Stroud also had six assists, four rebounds and four steals.
“I’m excited to get into this part of the season,” Wilson said. “It’s when you need to begin to play your best and ride that momentum into the postseason. We know we are going to have to play at or near or best every night if we are going to compete in this region. It’s not going to be easy and we all need to be on the same page and work together. We are going to see a lot of teams we haven’t played in a long while. We just hope to be able to be there in the end.”
Whitwell scored nine points with six boards, three steals and two assists Tuesday in Macon.
“This group is rounding into shape,” Wilson said. “I think some of our younger girls are ready to give us some meaningful minutes in big games and that’s only going to help us. We preach to each other that there isn’t another team around that has achieved what this team has the last four or five years. We also know it doesn’t mean we will match that feat this year but it definitely gives us the confidence to know we are capable of it.”
The Lady Cougars will host St. George’s today (Thursday) at 5:30 p.m. before hosting Mount de Sales in region action Friday at 6 p.m. Piedmont will also be at Westfield Saturday at 2 p.m.