Piedmont, AL – Ankle injury has sidelined Bethel in the midst of Saks comeback However, Glover the five players from Piedmont on the floor are steady Bulldogs to win the area. Pope, Young shoot Piedmont girls to victory.
Monday’s scoreboard
BOYS
White Plains 48, Anniston 46
Piedmont 71, Saks 62
Alexandria 92, Talladega 84
GIRLS
Anniston 70 White Plains 27
Piedmont 59, Saks 38
Talladega 75, Alexandria 36
Lincoln 70, Munford 15
By Joe Medley
SAKS The the first-year Piedmont Boys basketball head coach Matt Glover before the preseason’s first dribbles.
As giddy as he may have felt when top returning scorer Rollie Pinto sustained a football-related knee injury that forced the basketball player for a season Imagine the angst of Glover as the second-highest returning scorer Ismael Bethel wrote on Saks playing the floor on Monday.
Saks has already scored first of the third quarter’s 16 points in their Class 3A, Area 11 match There is one of Glover’s top remaining players.
After the game, assistant Coach Caleb Adams and teammate Chance Murphy assisted Bethel to get off the ground and onto the bench, which is where Bethel placed his right leg on a stool by putting an ice pack on his lower leg as well as his upper leg, Glover gave his team some words that he probably needed to listen to.
“We entered timeouts and I said to them to relax and that we would beat them,” Glover said. “I was adamant about the players I had out there at that point.”
Piedmont was able to weather it. Colton Proctor led four Bulldogs who scored double figures, scoring 18 points. They defeated 71-62 to improve to 5-2 in the year, and 3-0 in the region.
The most obvious concern to be posed following the game is the severity of Bethel’s injury as well as how many games he’ll be unable to play. Glover was able to witness a positive example from the first-year Saks Coach Wes Ginn, who sat right behind the spot the area where Bethel was thrown down.
“Wes said he was able to roll it up towards the outside, so we’re hoping that it’s on the ankle and nothing’s it’s nothing major,” Glover said. “That’s the goal I’m aiming for.”
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Glover’s debut Piedmont squad as director of basketball is what the players did on the court in the fourth quarter took back in control.
Piedmont made 13 3-pointers and 12 to they built a lead of up to 20 points during the first half. The Bulldogs were leading 47-33 at the half,
Saks beat Piedmont 19-7 during the 3rd quarter. The team led 49-47, when Luke Rhinehart’s drive layup started Piedmont’s stability.
Saks’s comeback was preceded by Bethel’s injury that occurred at 1:13 of the third.
“We were aware that they had a very good shooting team, but we got started in the defensive lane, not closing in on shooters, and not getting a leg in the air,” Ginn said. They forced us to pay.
“We knew that our defensive pressure could hurt them a little, but it ultimately got us back into our game.”
Joshua Todd scored four of his team’s 19 points during the quarter’s third. Dorrien Walker added five points, including a 3-pointer, during the third quarter and ended the game with nine points.
Anthony Bothwell and Christian Smith each made three points in the final period and scored eight points each Christian Hall and Anthony Bothwell both scored eight points. Christian Hall scored eight points in the game as Saks lost to 1-5.
Piedmont’s response was from Proctor who hit five of six free-throws at the end of the third quarter on his way to tie the record for points scored by Todd with 18.
It was scored by Jaylen Brown as well as Cole Wilson, who scored 12 points each. Rhinehart recorded 11 of those points and Taylon Swain scored nine.
They were the ones who helped Piedmont back to 70-60 points in the fourth quarter.
“I saw people who thought they weren’t going to be called upon to take on the challenge and perform in the sport,” Glover said. “Taylon, Luke Rhinehart, Colton, J.B. and then Cole Wilson, and J.B. were forced from the field (fouls) and that forced Dylan Oliver in the game.
“I was without any point guards for 3-4 minutes and I think Taylon Swain did a very great job in playing the game in a controlled manner. Him as well as Colton Proctor both stepped up and did a great job of being able play the point even in the event that J.B. was in foul trouble.”
Girls
PiEDMONT PIEDMONT SAKS 38 Ava Pope was leading her team of Bulldogs in scoring with 14, which included 4 of the 9 3-pointers made by Piedmont as well Josie Young hit one trey in the process of scoring 13 points. She left the game at the end of the third quarter due to an ankle injury that appeared to be the cause of.
Piedmont (5-4) increased to 3-0 in the area.
“We’re getting better, but it’s still an important victory,” first-year Piedmont coach Shane Morrow said. “We’re 3-1 in the region. We’re thrilled to be here sitting at 3-0 in the region.”
Alonna Crews scored two 3-pointers in the lead Saks (2-4) by scoring 14 points. Angel and Carter each scored nine points while Carter scored three 3-pointers.
“We experienced a few people who were sick with colds, fighting colds and things like that, and the effort wasn’t present today,” first-year Saks coach Lamar Bradford said. “I am a bit dissatisfied with the performance however I’m going accept that they failed because some of them were sick and they appeared weak, it appeared as if they weren’t 100 percent.”
