Piedmont, AL – Piedmont brings house down with 70-49 win over Saks, Odam has another triple-double, Pinto goes for 22; double milestones at PV, plus scores, highlights from other games in and around Calhoun County
BOYS GAMES
Anniston at Ramsay
Cedar Bluff 59, Ashville 46
Childersburg 73, B.B. Comer 46
Coosa Christian 87, Jacksonville Christian 56
Hokes Bluff 48, Ohatchee 44 (OT)
Plainview 57, Gadsden City 39
Pleasant Valley at Ranburne
Piedmont 70, Saks 49
Weaver 67, Wellborn 35
Westbrook Christian 61, Etowah 58
GIRLS GAMES
Cedar Bluff 37, Ashville 23
Etowah 61, Westbrook Christian 43
Jacksonville Christian 55, Coosa Christian 25
Ohatchee 58, Hokes Bluff 27
Piedmont 56, Saks 16
Ramsay 70, Anniston 43
Ranburne 61, Pleasant Valley 55
Weaver 41, Wellborn 21
By Al Muskewitz
Rollie Pinto hit a 3-pointer from the right side of the arc to give Piedmont the lead and the reaction from the student section under the basket was silence. The freshman guard hit another on the next possession to give the Bulldogs the lead again and the best he got was a couple fist pumps from the boys in the aisle who came to their feet.
This went on for the next couple possessions until Cole Wilson connected on a 3 off a Rhett Alford kickout and, finally, the student section erupted. And they stayed on their feet for the rest of the half.
There was a reason for the silence of these lambs. It was Piedmont’s Silent Night, the Bulldogs’ home opener and their only home game before Christmas. That explained all the holiday attire. The only rule was no cheering until the Bulldogs got to their 10th point in the game.
It probably took a little longer than they’d have liked, but the Bulldogs finally hit the magic number midway through the first quarter and then their students plenty to cheer about in a 70-49 rout of Saks.
“It’s kind of weird when you shoot it and there’s, like, nothing,” Pinto said. “It doesn’t bother me.
“It’s a silent game, everybody’s supposed to be silent. When I hit the 3 I don’t really expect people to get on their feet. I’m just zoned out and when I shoot it and it goes in I’m just like I’ve got to get the next possession, I’ve got to get a stop on defense.”
While their play was a little sloppy at times, as probably could be expected for a team with four games and four practices under their belts, the Bulldogs (4-0) gave their crowd plenty to cheer about. Alex Odom posted his third triple-double in four games and the Bulldogs placed four scorers in double figures, led by Rollie Pinto’s career high 22 points that included four 3-pointers.
Odom’s triple-double featured 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. He checked off the double-double with a rebound with 4:34 in the third quarter and completed the triple with an assist to Wilson with less than a minute to play in the game.
He would’ve gotten it earlier, but he had three brilliant passes to set his teammates up for layups that didn’t go down and likely will as the season progresses.
“This is the easiest group to play with since I’ve been here,” Odam said. “They can all score, so it makes it easy. I feel like I can pass it more and it just opens the floor up a lot. It’s just fun.”
Pinto, a Piedmont player since the seventh grade but a newcomer to the varsity lineup this year, has wasted little time finding his place on the big team. His scoring has progressed in each game this season – 14 against Wellborn, 15 against Weaver and 16 against Albertville before Monday night’s breakout. He had 11 in the first quarter with three of the 3-pointers.
“I love playing with these guys, and especially playing at home, it’s a lot more fun,” he said. “It’s the first home game, you’re excited, you’re hyped, you just let it go and shoot shots. The first game was kind of like figuring each other out, but once the season progresses I think we’ll be a really good team.
“I don’t even think we’ve figured each other yet, which is still scary. I just can’t wait to see when we figure each other out. It’s going to be a great team.”
Ish Bethel and Wilson completed the Bulldogs’ quartet of double-figure scorers with 10 points each.
“He shoots it so well,” Piedmont coach JoJo Odam said of Pinto. “He shoots it with confidence. I don’t know that we’ve had anybody who shoots it as confidently as he does. But he brings a whole lot more than shooting. He a ball handler for us and we put him on their best player tonight trying to see if he can guard somebody early.”
PIEDMONT 70, SAKS 49
SAKS – Jakari Streeter 5 0-0 10, Daryus Foster 0 0-0 0, Dee Elston 2 1-2 5, Joshua Todd 0 0-0 0, Christian Smith 4 0-3 8, Jayveonne Weeks 0 0-0 0, Dorrien Walker 1 1-2 3, Tae Elston 2 2-2 8, Anthony Bothwell 5 1-2 13, Keandre Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 5-11 49.
PIEDMONT (4-0) – Alex Odam 9 1-1 19, Rollie Pinto 9 0-0 22, Ish Bethel 5 0-0 10, Colton Proctor 0 0-0 0, Rhett Alford 1 3-4 5, Luke Rhinehart 1 1-1 3, Trevor Rice 0 1-2 1, Chance Murphy 0 0-0 0, Cole Wilson 3 2-2 10, Dontavious Jordan 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 8-10 70.
Saks 12 15 10 12 – 49
Piedmont 20 20 15 15 – 70
3-point goals: Saks 4 (T. Elston 2, Bothwell 2); Piedmont 6 (Pinto 4, Wilson 2). Total fouls: Saks 11, Piedmont 12. Officials: Kelley, Hollingsworth, Jarrett.
HOKES BLUFF 48, OHATCHEE 44: Jake Roberson converted a Kelbe Crook pass into the game-tying basket with four seconds left in regulation, but the Indians eventually fell in overtime.
HOKES BLUFF – Landon Davenport 3 2-2 9, Ashton Moody 0 0-2 0, Anderson Morgan 5 4-6 15, John Clark Wetzel 0 2-2 2, Mason Miller 0 0-0 0, Colby Smith 3 4-4 10, Jordan Presley 3 4-5 12, Logan Carr 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 16-21
OHATCHEE – Eli Teem 1 0-0 3, Jake Roberts 2 0-1 4, Jesse Baswell 2 0-0 5, Carroll 1 0-1 2, Hester 1 0-0 3, Jake Roberson 3 0-0 6, Nathan Dover 1 0-1 2, Kelbe Crook 5 9-10 19. Totals 16 9-13 44.
Hokes Bluff 9 9 13 9 8 – 48
Ohatchee 6 10 9 15 4 – 44
3-point goals: Hokes Bluff 4 (Davenport, Morgan, Presley 2); Ohatchee 3 (Teem, Baswell, Hester). Fouled out: Hester. Total fouls: Hokes Bluff 16, Ohatchee 21. Officials: Pratt, Mallicoat, McCord.
WEAVER 67, WELLBORN 35: The Bearcats got off to their best start of the season and parlayed it into their second win in a row. They scored 28 points in the first quarter to open a 22-point lead. Tristan Brown scored 12 of his 20 and Jeffrey Miles scored 10 of his 14 in the quarter.
Wellborn’s points came in waves. Ethan Tidwell scored all 15 of his points in the second half.
Avery Odom scored six of his seven in the first quarter and Jackson Long scored seven of his nine in the second.
“We did a better job in our press tonight and got some points off turnovers,” Weaver coach Beau Winn said. “But we really did a great job getting touches on offense and taking direct routes to the basket.”
WEAVER – Tristan Brown 8 0-0 20, Elijah Smith 0 0-0 0, Jeffrey Miles 6 2-2 14, Dawson Brooks 3 0-0 7, Payton Martin 1 0-0 2, Jackson Williams 3 0-1 6, Zack Garner 3 0-0 6, Armane Burton 5 0-0 10, Austin Snider 1 0-0 2. Totals 30 2-3 67.
WELLBORN – Conner Woodard 0 0-0 0, Xavier Parker 0 0-0 0, Avery Odom 3 1-2 7, Jesse Lewis 1 0-0 2, Raymond Williams 1 0-0 2, Ethan Tidwell 6 2-4 15, Jackson Long 4 0-1 9, Trey Downs 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 3-7 35.
Weaver 28 14 17 8 – 67
Wellborn 6 7 15 7 – 35
3-point goals: Weaver 5 (Brown 4, Brooks); Wellborn 2 (Tidwell, Long). Technical fouls: Burton., Parker. Total fouls: Weaver 9, Wellborn 6. Officials: Stubbs, McGraw, Wood.
Girls Games
PIEDMONT – Terrace Ridley liked what she saw of her team and in the first half and wanted to see more in the second.
Piedmont nearly held Saks scoreless in the third quarter and to only three points in the second half to comfortably salt away their third straight area victory, 56-16, in their first home doubleheader with the boys Monday night.
“It was nice; they were looking forward to opening up with the boys here at home,” Ridley said. “It’s always good to be at home because you know you can play better. Most of the time you play better when you’re home, so I gave them that challenge to come out and get a jump and play their best tonight and they did.“
They already led by 21 at halftime, then held the Lady Wildcats scoreless until Alana Crews hit a free throw late in the third.
“The main thing was to run the floor and we were able to do that tonight,” Ridley continued. “They did everything I wanted them to do in the first half and in the second half I just challenged them to pick up the tempo because they probably weren’t going to be out there very long. They wanted to do as much as possible if they could while they were out there and they executed well.”
Ava Pope and Lele Ridley each scored 12 points in the first half and finished with 16 and 17 points, respectively. Ridley also had six rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots. Pope dished four assists and grabbed five boards.
Carson Young grabbed a team high seven rebounds and Cayla Brothers had five steals.
PIEDMONT 56, SAKS 16
SAKS – Sania Angel 2 0-2 4, Monterria Christopher 0 0-0 0, Alana Crews 1 2-5 4, Madison Turner 2 1-6 5, Alyah Christopher 0 0-0 0, Jada Foster 0 0-0 0, Trenzly Bolding 0 0-0 0, Camrie Denham 1 0-2 3. Totals 6 3-15 16.
PIEDMONT (5-1) – Armoni Perry 1 0-1 2, Ava Pope 6 2-3 16, Josie Young 2 0-0 5, Rylie Anne Holbrooks 0 0-0 0, Jaycee Glover 2 1-2 5, Lele Ridley 5 4-5 17, Cayla Brothers 2 0-2 4, Melanie Studdard 0 1-2 1, Jenna Duke 0 0-0 0, Carson Young 2 0-2 4, Gracie Naugher 0 0-0 0, Morgan Studdard 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 8-17 56.
Saks 4 9 1 2 – 16
Piedmont 14 18 17 7 – 56
3-point goals: Saks 1 (Denham); Piedmont 6 (Pope 2, J. Young, Ridley 3). Rebounds: Piedmont 26 (Young 7, Ridley 6). Total fouls: Saks 15, Piedmont 14. Officials: Jarrett, Kelley, Hollingsworth.
RANBURNE 61, PLEASANT VALLEY 55: There were a pair of scoring milestones hit during the game. Ranburne’s Briley Merrill went over the 2,000-point plateau and PV’s Macey Roper eclipsed 1,000 career points. Roper needed 15 points to break the barrier; she scored 25 in the game. Merrill scored 38 points and now has 2,024 for her career.
OHATCHEE 58, HOKES BLUFF 27: Jorda Crook scored 42 points, half of them in the third quarter as the Lady Indians extended a 10-point halftime lead.
HOKES BLUFF – Mary Davenport 1 0-0 2, Chloe Dodd 0 0-0 0, Kayla Traylor 0 0-0 0, Haley Kate Wellingham 0 2-4 2, Raya Steward 1 0-0 2, Pressley Wall 4 0-0 12, Emma Doss 2 0-2 4, Ava Dodd 2 0-0 5. Totals 10 2-6 27.
OHATCHEE – Tabi Davidson 1 0-0 2, Whitney McFry 0 1-4 1, Mia Waters 0 0-0 0, Kianna Garber 2 0-2 4, Jorda Crook 19 3-4 42, Alyssa Davis 2 0-0 4, Lindsey Zurchin 2 0-0 5. Totals 26 4-10 58.
Hokes Bluff 8 5 9 5 – 27
Ohatchee 10 13 25 10 – 58
3-point goals: Hokes Bluff 5 (Wall 4, A. Dodd); Ohatchee 2 (Crook, Zurchin). Technical fouls: C. Dodd, Davidson. Total fouls: Hokes Bluff 13, Ohatchee 11. Officials: Mallicoat, Pratt, McCord.
WEAVER 41, WELLBORN 21: Aaliyah Marks scored 13 points and D.J. Gibbs had 12 as the Lady Bearcats picked up an important area victory. Gibbs had six of her points in the first quarter and nine in the first half as Weaver jumped to a 22-14 halftime lead.
WEAVER – Annalynna Canchucaja 1 0-0 2, Erionna Richmond 0 1-2 1, D.J. Gibbs 3 5-14 12, Ellamae Kines 0 0-0 0, Alayia D’Ambrosia 0 0-0 0, Iyanna Wright 0 0-3 0, McKenley Davis 0 1-2 1, Aaliyah Marks 5 2-4 13, Madison Atchley 2 5-12 9, Kimora Miles 1 1-4 3, Kinley Marvasty 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 15-41.
WELLBORN – Anna Odom 1 1-2 3, Mikayla Williams 3 2-4 8, Taniya Traylor 0 0-2 0, Bentley Rae Bean 1 0-0 2, Destiny Benefield 0 0-0 0, Calla Hayes 1 1-2 3, Immarieen Singleton 0 0-0 0, Libby Smith 1 1-2 3, Brooklynn Singleton 0 0-0 0, Layla Amberson 0 0-2 0, Hannah Grubbs 0 0-0 0, Molly Junior 1 0-0 2, Maci Maxwell 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 5-14 21.
Weaver 10 12 6 13 – 41
Wellborn 7 7 2 5 – 21
3-point goals: Weaver 2 (Gibbs, Marks). Fouled out: Odom, B. Singleton. Total fouls: Weaver 17, Wellborn 28. Officials: Stubbs, McGraw, Wood.
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 55, COOSA CHRISTIAN 25: Kara Grave scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead two Lady Thunder scorers and three rebounders in double figures. Erin Prater had 17 points and came within two rebounds of a double-double. Meanwhile, Rebekah Carter grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds and Katie Beth Hudson collected 10 caroms.
JCA (6-3) – Katie Beth Hudson 0 0-0 0, Addy Lee 2 0-0 6, Rebekah Carter 1 2-4 4, Erin Prater 5 1-1 14, Kara Grace 11 3-10 25, Carlie Chesson 0 0-0 0, Kirsten 2 1-2 6, Peyton Walker 0 0-1 0. Totals 21 7-18 55.
COOSA – Ranyiah Dupree 1 0-2 2, Kate England 0 0-0 0, Mya Ellen 2 0-2 4, A.J. Holmon 0 0-4 0, Catie O’Bryant 1 0-0 3, Caitlin Cates 4 1-3 10, Malaina Ellen 0 0-0 0, Natalie Depp 3 0-0 6. Totals 11 1-11 25.
JCA 9 15 20 11 – 55
Coosa 5 9 9 2 – 25
3-point goals: JCA 6 (Lee 2, Prater 3, Walker); Coosa 2 (Cates, O’Bryant). Total fouls: JCA 11, Coosa 18. Officials: Shirley, Ingram, Mulkey.
