Varsity Cougars Add Win

The Piedmont Academy varsity boys basketball team added another win to its season total Tuesday by defeating Monroe Academy 54-48 on the road.

A 14-point effort by Taylor Marsh along with 10 points from Andrew Fisher helped the Cougars improve to 7-4 overall and 4-1 in region play.
Marsh actually scored all of his points in the first half. Lance Richardson added nine points for Piedmont.

“We outscored them 15-4 in the first quarter and that turned out to be the difference,” Cougar coach Chip Champion said. “Overall, we played very well against a good team.”
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Champion said several players contributed in the win including freshman Whit Morgan who gave the team quality minutes off the bench.

“We are going to need contributions like that as the season goes on,” Champion said. “We have already matched our win total from last season. I am proud of this team and everything they have accomplished to this point.”

The Piedmont boys fell to Class AAA John Milledge 46-41 last Friday.

“It was a game we probably should have won,” Champion said. “We had a good second and third quarter but didn’t play well in the first and fourth.

“We just didn’t get the job done. They exposed some weaknesses of ours. We just have to get better in certain areas.”

Ben Worthen was the leading scorer for the Cougars with 11 points while Marsh finished with 10.

Piedmont defeated John Hancock 42-39 back on Dec. 29 as Fisher scored 13 and Josh Daniel finished with 11.

“We didn’t play our best in that game, but a win is a win,” Champion said.

The Piedmont Academy Lady Cougars have not been as fortunate in recent games falling 46-25 to Monroe Tuesday. Mandi Pulliam was the leading scorer for Piedmont with 14 points while Heather Lewis scored six.

“Our youth and inexperience are still hurting us,” Champion said of the Piedmont girls. “I know we are getting better, but sometimes it’s hard to see that.”

Pulliam also led the Lady Cougars with 12 points in a 65-32 loss to John Milledge. Lewis finished with 10.

Champion said the Piedmont girls were simply outmatched in this contest, but said the game was a good learning experience.
Pulliam scored 18 points for Piedmont in a 36-29 loss to John Hancock.

“The game with John Hancock was one of the better games we have played,” Champion said. “We lost to them by 23 points earlier in the season.”

The Lady Cougars raced out to a 13-3 lead after the first quarter and continued to lead by two at half before running out of gas at the end, Champion said.

The Piedmont Academy varsity basketball teams will return to action Friday when they travel to Heritage in Newnan at 6 p.m. The teams will then host Oak Mountain Saturday beginning at 3:30 p.m. before hosting Flint River Tuesday at 6 p.m.