Jacksonville, AL – Anniston’s boys and girls, Piedmont’s boys, Faith Christian’s boys and B.B. Comer’s boys advance to regional play. (Includes links to regional pairings and subregional results)
By Joe Medley
On a tough night for several area teams, Anniston’s boys and girls, Piedmont’s boys and Faith Christian’s boys and B.B. Comer’s boys break through to regionals.
On a difficult night of subregional games for teams from Calhoun County, Anniston’s boys and girls, Piedmont’s boys and Faith Christian’s boys got through to the Northeast Regional.
Anniston’s boys beat Etowah 51-46, and the girls dominated Etowah 66-12 in Class 4A, Northeast subregional games played at Anniston on Saturday.
Faith Christian’s boys downed visiting Gaylesville 59-39 to earn the Lions’ third regional appearance in as many years.
At Piedmont, the Bulldogs handled visiting Vinemont 56-43 to reach the regional in their first season under head coach Matt Glover.
Elsewhere, White Plains’ boys fell to New Hope 59-48, and Jacksonville lost at DAR 61-43. The Nos. 2 and 3 teams in Class 4A in the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll will not advance to regional.
In Class 5A, Alexandria fell to visiting Guntersville 79-73 in overtime.
Oxford fell to Huffman 50-39 in Class 6A, and Pleasant Valley fell 59-31 to visiting North Sand Mountain in Class 2A.
Northeast and Central Regional pairings are set for area teams.
Here’s a rundown of Saturday’s winners:
Anniston boys
ANNISTON 51, ETOWAH 46: Ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, Anniston will be the survivor between itself, White Plains and two-time defending state champion Jacksonville.
Isaiah Allen and Devin Coleman led the way with 15 points apiece, and Coleman hit four of five free throws in the final two minutes.
Kyron Brown added six points, and T.K. Downie made two free throws with three seconds left.
“We played extremely hard,” Anniston coach Torry Brown said. “It was a good game.”
Anniston will play DAR on Feb. 19 at a time to be determined in Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Anniston girls
ANNISTON 66, ETOWAH 16: After a year’s absence, Anniston’s girls are back at regional.
Tykeria Smith led Anniston with 17 points. A’Kayla Perry added 15, Serena Hardy 14 and Layla Tyus 10.
“Just glad we got a win,” Anniston coach Eddie Bullock said. “We played extremely hard, but we still had a few lapses during the game.
“Our defense is getting stronger. I love the fact that we got double-digit scoring from four of the starters. We are healthy, and I believe we are peaking at the right time.”
Anniston will play New Hope on Feb. 19 at a time to be determined at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Piedmont boys
PIEDMONT 56, VINEMONT 43: The team Piedmont took to regional last year had Jacksonville State-bound Alex Odam plus Rollie Pinto and Ishmael Bethel.
Odam graduated. Pinto was lost to a preseason knee injury, and Bethel was lost to a late-season shoulder injury.
Glover still got the Bulldogs still got to regional.
Colton Proctor led Piedmont with 16 points Saturday. Taylon Swain added 12, Jaylen Brown 11 and Chance Murphy nine.
“We played extremely hard tonight,” Glover said. “I think we are playing good at the right time of the year. We were locked in on our defensive game plan, and I think that was the big key on winning this game. Offensively, we shared the ball and drove into gaps and made the right decision tonight.
“Once again, I’m extremely proud of the resiliency of this group. I would’ve been easy to give excuses after our injuries, but they bonded together and have worked hard to get to this point.”
Piedmont will play Geraldine on Saturday at a time to be determined in Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Faith Christian boys
FAITH CHRISTIAN 59, GAYLESVILLE 29: Third-year coach Cory Hughes’ outspoken faith in Faith this season proved to be right.
Carson Harris swished seven 3-pointers on the way to 29 points, and the Lions roared back to regional. Conner Richerzhagen added 13 points.
Faith will play Skyline on Wednesday at a time to be determined in Pete Mathews Coliseum.
“Our defense will allow us to play with just about anybody,” Hughes said. “When we get hot, we can beat just about anybody, and tonight was a showing of that.
“Carson Harris got white hot. … Everything, it seemed like, went in, but I’m really proud of the way our guys played defense. Our defense is clicking right now.”
B.B. Comer boys
B.B. COMER 84, SOUTHEASTERN 66: Raelon Sims poured in 24 points with five assists, and Comer punched its ticket to the Central Regional in Montgomery.
The Tigers (21-5) will play Altamont on Thursday at a time to be determined.
Cam Gaddis added 22 points Saturday, and Kamore Harris added 20 points with seven rebounds. Chris Wilson scored 10 points with eight rebounds.
