Bearcats on a roll
- Updated: January 12, 2015
Highest scoring game in coach’s tenure leads to Weaver girls’ third win in four games
By East Alabama Sports Today
WEAVER – The Weaver girls basketball team is playing its best ball in years these days and understandably coach Gary Atchley doesn’t want it to end.
The Bearcats scored the most points in Atchley’s four seasons and won for the third time in a week for what is believed the first time in 10 years when they dumped Ragland 61-51 Monday.
“We’ve played great two nights in a row. There’s a switch flipped with Weaver girls’ basketball right now and I don’t want it to stop. It’s been a long time since it happened here.”
In the seven-day stretch that began last Tuesday, the Bearcats (6-13) beat Wellborn, lost to Piedmont, beat Sacred Heart and now Ragland. They host White Plains Tuesday looking for their first three-game winning streak in as long as anyone can remember.
“We’ve been playing good because we learned to start playing as a team,” senior Keara Scott said. “Instead of being ball hogs and doing all that, we started working together. We realize there’s a lot of talent on our team and if we put it all together we can do really well.
“It’s really, really exciting because I’m a senior and I want us to go far and do good, and we’re really getting there.”
Scott, who had a triple-double against Sacred Heart, scored only five points but had 14 rebounds, 12 blocked shots and five assists. Rayne Beck led the Bearcats with 23 points and Mariah Thompson had 20. Beck didn’t play the last time the teams met, a 36-16 Ragland win.
Thompson got them started with eight points in the first quarter. The Bearcats hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter opening a 12-point halftime lead. Scott and Beck combined for 15 points in the fourth quarter, including 9-of-14 from the free throw line. Thompson hit four straight technical free throws to help seal the deal.
“I’ve got a great young bunch; they want to learn and that’s showing – finally,” Atchley said. “It’s funny, we were sitting on the bench (late in the game) up 58-42 and the girls said, ‘Coach, we might score 60.’ I said ‘just play defense.’ They were excited.”
Weaver 61, Ragland 51
RAGLAND — Summer Hazelwood 9 2-2 25, Carley Echols 1 0-0 3, Payton Bearden 3 2-2 8, Arzayda Williams 0 0-0 0, Jacqueline Boswell 1 0-0 2, Tabria Looney 0 0-0 0, Bailey Pettit 1 0-0 2, Savannah Kay 1 0-0 2, Marqueana McKinney 2 1-4 5, Kerston Looney 1 2-2 4. Totals 19 7-10 51.
WEAVER (6-13) – Ciara Hardy 2 0-2 6, Keara Scott 2 0-2 5, Tayanna Perry 0 0-0 0, Rayne Beck 8 7-15 23, Caleigh Cortez 3 1-6 7, Mariah Thompson 5 7-10 20. Totals 20 15-35 61.
Ragland 9 10 12 20 — 51
Weaver 16 15 9 21 — 61
3-point goals: Ragland 6 (Hazelwood 5, C. Echols); Weaver 6 (Hardy 2, Scott, Thompson 3). Total fouls: Ragland 27, Weaver 9. Fouled out: Bearden. Technical fouls: Ragland bench, McKinney, Kay. Officials: Baker, Hunter, Henderson.
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