Calhoun County, AL Calhoun County, AL With the first-year Piedmont coaches trying in order to replace players who are no longer playing Anniston’s girls, boys bring the pressure and play in the fight with Bulldogs.
by Joe Medley
PiEDMONT – PIEDMONT – Anniston’s players entered their final game in the league hoping to bounce back from their initial loss.
Piedmont arrived on the scene for only one game and four practice sessions under the head coach of its first year, Matt Glover, looking to discover its place in the world in the absence of Alex Odam and injured top returning scorer Rollie Pinto.
Delroy Francis scored a game-high 19 points. Anniston was the more experienced team at the game, winning 63-36 to sweep the doubleheader for boys and girls at Piedmont. Anniston’s girls took the win, 53-37.
Anniston’s boys rang the bell after losing 41-30 the morning of Fort Payne.
“I think last night was an extremely physical game due to the fact that Fort Payne is a really large group,” Anniston coach Torry Brown stated. “I am very happy that we were able to come out today and show the same enthusiasm as we did. We were out and got off to an amazing start.”
The Bulldogs were ahead 16-11 at the end of the first quarter, and 32-22 at halftime. They kept Piedmont down to just 14 points during the second quarter and five points in the third quarter.
Jayden Lewis scored 12 points. Isaiah Allen had nine.
“Right now, with the way we’re looking, it appears we’ve an impressive team,” Francis said.
Piedmont lost Odam Pinto, the 2022-23 Class 3A Player of the Year as well as an official Jacksonville State signee,to graduation. Pinto was a victim of an injury to his knee that ended the season during the football season. The brace is off, but his rehabilitation path will continue through the the basketball season.
As a team, Odam and Pinto averaged 40 points per game in the last season.
Glover replaced Jonathan Odam, Alex’s dad who retired from coaching to pursue his son’s career at college. Piedmont kicked off the Glover era by sweeping Cedar Bluff this past Monday.
Ish Bethel was the leading scorer for Ish Bethel’s Bulldogs by scoring 12 points, while Colton Procter added eight against Anniston. They fought back to just seven points after Anniston’s impressive beginning, but struggled against the Bulldogs their pressure.
For the Bulldogs getting their bearings is about finding their men.
“Alex and Rollie played with the ball 90% of the time in 2012 and we’re now trying to discover what we’re made of,” Glover said. “That’s going be a process of learning that’s going to be tough because we’re doing it during games, not in practice. We’re learning the skill by doing.
“We’re likely to lose a few games in the beginning and that’s fine. We’ll have to learn from this, and learn from our mistakes and what did wrong, and then we’ve been in a position to correct it.”
Girls
ANNISTON 53 37 PIEDMONT: Tykeria Smith poured in 24 points, Serena Hardy added nine and the Bulldogs took an early lead of 23-8 at quarter’s conclusion and a 34-10 lead at halftime, despite a lot of ball pressure.
The Bulldogs are getting off to an 8-0 start following Hardy’s return from an injury to her knee forced her out for four games during the season.
“I didn’t think anyone believed we’d win 8-0, however, we did get Serena back after her ACL injury,” Anniston coach Eddie Bullock stated. “Last year, the girls did well with her out, however she’s hard to defeat.”
Ava Pope hit one 3-pointer and was the top scorer for Piedmont in scoring with a total of 11 but early foul trouble slowed her participation in the courts. Josie Young added seven.
Piedmont was a 2-2 team under head coach first year Shane Morrow, the former Jacksonville boys director who took charge of the Piedmont girls’ program after Terrace Ridley stepped down. As with Glover along with the men Morrow’s girls squad has moved on without former superstar LeLe Ridley.
“Pressure can rip pipes apart to create diamonds. We kind of slid into it this evening,” Morrow said. “Give them lots of credit.
“We achieved some positive things. We had a few the occasional flashes, but overall they were the best team this evening.”
