Lady Cougars Open New Season With Loss, Win

The Piedmont Academy varsity girls basketball team ushered in the new season with two games in Damascus last week against strong opponents.

The Lady Cougars fell to host Southwest Georgia 74-35 on Nov. 22 before rebounding with a 50-44 victory against Southland Academy the following day.

“The tournament was good for us,” said coach Michael Wilson who guided the program to its first-ever Final Four appearance last season. “Southwest Georgia came out ready to play and jumped on us. We weren’t expecting it and never were in the game. I’ve got to do a better job of preparing the girls for that. We aren’t sneaking up on anyone anymore so if we aren’t ready, it can go sideways in a hurry.”

Maddie Waddleton was the lone Lady Cougar to finish in double figures against Southwest Georgia with 10 points. Jacie Jenkins added eight points while Marissa Holder scored six.

“Losing to Southwest Georgia was not disappointing,” Wilson said. “They are a very good team. However, the manner in which we lost was extremely disappointing. I think there were times we showed our youth with some poor body language and effort in the first half when things weren’t going as easily as we thought they would.”

Piedmont had 26 turnovers and only had four steals in the opener. The Lady Cougars were also just 23 percent from the field.

The following day saw the team have a solid performance in a six-point victory. Holder had 22 points while Waddleton added 13 and Teagan Satterfield scored 11 points.

“I was very proud of the way we bounced back against Southland,” Wilson said. “We took care of the basketball, handled some adversity early in the game and shot the ball better. Southland is a good team just like Southwest Georgia and I hope we all realized how difficult it is to beat a good team and it takes more than just walking on the court and playing.”

“Defensively, we have a long way to go until we are playing good team defense,” Wilson said. “We took a step in the right direction but everyone has to commit to wanting to play defense for an entire possession.”

Hannah Tyler added three points in the win while Jenkins had one.

“Offensively, we cannot rush attempts or settle for the first look,” Wilson said.

“We need to move the basketball better. We only had 14 assists in the two games and that tells me we are not working together on offense as a whole. There were bright spots but often times there is a break down in the supply chain and individuals are looking for their shots and not the best shot for the team.”

Piedmont’s coach had praise for several players and their performances in the first two games of the 2021-22 season. Wilson said Waddleton had an “excellent tournament.”

“She had two double-doubles and handled the basketball more than she has in the past,” the coach said. “She’s a problem for post players to defend because of her ability to play facing the basket and with the dribble.”

Jenkins, a transfer player from Ola High School, made her debut for the Lady Cougars and was a standout against Southwest Georgia.

Holder bounced back in the second tournament game and sparked the team with 22 points.

“Marissa was composed, handled the basketball and controlled the game,” Wilsons said. “That’s not easy for a freshman to do, especially one who every team is game planning against when we play them.”

Holder was one of the best players in GISA Class AA as an eighth grader last season.

In addition, Satterfield was praised for her effort.

“She calmed down after the first two quarters and really started to be a factor on both ends of the court,” Wilson said. “She’s a lot like Maddie in that she is a really good basketball player. She just needs to believe in herself and be more assertive on the court.”

The Lady Cougars will return to the court against Thomas Jefferson at home on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m.