By Al Muskewitz
Piedmont turns up the defense, wins eighth straight area crown; holds two tournament foes to 44 total points
PIEDMONT – Every conversation about the Piedmont basketball team invariably starts with its offense and leading scorer Alex Odam, but there was another aspect of the team that has impressed coach JoJo Odam this week that will be just as key to the Bulldogs success going forward.
Piedmont won its eighth straight area championship Friday night – and ninth in the last 10 years – with a 59-25 victory over Weaver. In their two games in the Class 3A Area 11 tournament they allowed a total of 44 points.
Odam scored 45 in the two games by himself.
“We played good defense the other night against Ohatchee as well,” JoJo Odam said. “We’re playing better defense; I think that’s what getting us (ahead). Between Cash (Cassius Fairs) and Omar (Omarion Foster) they play such good on-ball defense, but we’ve got some of the younger guys playing better help defense. The help defense is what’s helping us. Our off-ball defense may be better than our on-ball defense.”
“We’re practicing hard on our defense,” Fairs said. “We know playing with a real good player like Alex, if we can stop other teams and we can get him the ball quicker, we can all find ways to score.”
The last time these two teams played, the Bearcats scored 65 points. It was an area game in which the Bulldogs were missing Foster and Odam was coming back to test the foot he hurt in the Champions Christmas Classic semifinals a week and a half earlier.
On this night, they held the Bearcats to 13 points in the first half and four field goals in the second.
“They did change up some things on defense this game and it caused us to have to adjust our offensive sets,” Weaver coach Beau Winn said. “I think the low scoring got to us and when we came out from halftime we just pressed a little too hard trying to get back in the game all at once.
“I’ve got to do a better job preparing the boys for in-game adjustments so if we do get behind like that again they’ll be mentally prepared to take that on.”
On the offensive end, Alex Odam was his usual smooth-shooting self. He opened the game with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and he ended the first half with the same. In both cases, the shots drew nothing but net.
He hit five 3-pointers in the first half, six in the game and scored 28 points before retiring with the rest of the starters with 5:50 left in the game and the Bulldogs up 52-18.
Asked if there was any spot on the floor where he doesn’t hit, he took the Fifth.
“I think that first 3 starting off really got me going,” he said. “I knew I was going to have a good one after that. It just felt good, felt smooth, so I just kept it rolling.”
The Bulldogs will host Area 9 runner-up and county rival Saks in their subregion game Tuesday night. Weaver will travel to area champion Childersburg.
CLASS 3A AREA 11
Championship Game
Piedmont 59, Weaver 25
WEAVER – Tristan Brown 1 3-5 5, Jeffery Miles 3 4-4 10, Kohl Perry 0 0-0 0, Elijah Smith 0 0-0 0, Dawson Brooks 3 0-0 7, Buck McGregor 0 0-0 0, Zack Garner 0 0-0 0, Armane Burton 1 1-2 3, Dalton Homesley 0 0-0 0, Peyton Martin 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 8-11 25.
PIEDMONT – Alex Odam 11 0-1 28, Omarion Foster 4 0-3 8, Gavin Lawler 0 0-0 0, Cassius Fairs 2 0-1 5, Cole Wilson 1 0-1 3, Ridge Fagan 0 0-0 0, Ish Bethel 1 1-1 3, Jake Rhinehart 0 0-0 0, Chance Murphy 3 2-2 8, Coleman Reid 0 2-2 2, Rhett Alford 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 5-10 59.
Weaver 7 6 5 7 – 25
Piedmont 16 14 17 12 – 59
3-point goals: Weaver 1 (Brooks); Piedmont 8 (Odam 6, Fairs, Wilson). Total fouls; Weaver 14, Piedmont 15. Officials: Douthitt, Brown, Stringer.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kelbe Crook, Ohatchee
Garrett Cranmer, Pleasant Valley
Jeffrey Miles, Weaver
Armane Burton, Weaver
Cassius Fairs, Piedmont
Omarion Foster, Piedmont
Alex Odam, Piedmont (MVP) [*** read more]
