PV pulls away
- Updated: January 15, 2016
Girls roundup: Lady Raiders use 11-0 run late in first half win ninth straight; White Plains holds off Piedmont, Cherokee County wins
By East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE – Mikala Simpson came to the bench in foul trouble late in the first quarter and sat until late in the first half. All that time gave her time to think about what she wanted to do when she reentered the game.
Pleasant Valley coach Brad Hood reinstered Simpson with about two minutes left in the half and she didn’t waste time establishing her presence. She scored the middle six points in an 11-0 run with Atleigh Brannon that gave the Raiders control of the game in an ultimate 65-56 area victory over Weaver.
It was the 10th-ranked Lady Raiders’ ninth win in a row.
“I benched her with about two minutes left in the first quarter and put her in with two minutes left in the half and told her not to touch anyone,” Hood said. “I put her in for offense and it changed the game.”
The Lady Raiders, who broke out new uniforms prior to the game, were ahead 20-18 at the time. Brannon hit a 3-pointer to get the run going, then Simpson scored the next six points in a row. Brannon added another basket before the run closed.
“It really got me focused and thinking about how my team needs me,” Simpson said of her time on the pine. “It kind of got me pumped up.”
Simpson finished with 18 points. Brannon led all scorers with 19. Caleigh Cortez led Weaver with 14 points.
The victory left PV (17-2) 4-1 in Class 3A Area 12 and tied with Piedmont for the area lead. The teams split during the season. The Raiders have Wellborn left, Piedmont has Weaver; both games are Jan. 25. A tie at the top would force a coin toss to determine the top seed and tournament host.
Meanwhile, the loss left Weaver coach Gary Atchley to think about what might have been.
“Our games are coming down to missed free throws and layups,” he said. “They’re the easiest things for me to fix.”
White Plains 35, Piedmont 29: Shelby Wood scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the first half to lead White Plains to victory. She had six in the first quarter.
White Plains’ Hannah Barno hit two 3-pointers early in the game, then slipped on a wet portion of the floor and sustained a groin pull; her status for tonight’s game at Jacksonville or the Lady Wildcats’ County Tournament opener Saturday wasn’t immediately certain.
Jakieya Mitchell had 15 points for Piedmont on five 3-pointers. The teams could meet again in the second round of the County Tournament Monday at 6 p.m.
Cherokee County Tournament
Cherokee County 66, Gaylesville 27: Emily Williams scored 22 points as the Lady Warriors scored an easy opening-round victory. Lauren Hammett led Gaylesville with 14 points.
THURSDAY NIGHT GIRLS’ BOXSCORES
Pleasant Valley 65, Weaver 56
WEAVER – Caleigh Cortez 6 2-4 14, Tayanna Perry 3 1-2 7, Rayne Beck 2 0-1 5, Emily Reed 4 1-1 10, Mariah Thompson 4 2-5 11, Abby Gaines 4 0-1 9. Totals 23 6-14 56.
PLEASANT VALLEY (17-2) — Kara Perry 4 0-0 8, Mckinley Parris 5 0-1 11, Atleigh Brannon 7 2-4 19, Rachel Faucett 0 1-2 1, Kendall Johnson 2 4-5 8, Mikala Simpson 7 4-5 18. Totals 25 11-16 65.
Weaver 7 14 15 20 — 56
Pleasant Valley 11 20 14 20 — 65
3-point goals: Weaver 4 (Beck, Reed, Thompson, Gaines); Pleasant Valley 4 (Parris, Brannon 3). Total fouls: Weaver 12, Pleasant Valley 15. Officials: Brewster, Wilson, Maske.
White Plains 35, Piedmont 29
PIEDMONT — Jakieya Mitchell 5 0-0 15, Samirra Braswell 1 1-4 3, Brooke Perry 1 0-0 2, Kishauna Jones 0 1-2 1, Kaitlyn Ridley 2 0-0 4, Lulu Jackson 1 0-0 2, Rebecca Smart 0 2-2 2. Totals 10 4-8 29.
WHITE PLAINS – Rian Chandler 0 0-0 0, Carley Wood 2 0-0 4, Hannah Barno 2 0-0 6, Korie Burges 0 0-0 0, AK Dothard 2 1-2 5, Chasity Nelson 0 0-0 0, Grey Young 0 0-0 0, Shelby Wood 7 3-4 18, Jocelyn Nelson 0 0-0 0, MC Young 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 4-6 35.
Piedmont 8 10 9 2 — 29
White Plains 14 6 9 6 — 35
3-point goals: Piedmont 5 (Mitchell); White Plains (Barno 2, S. Wood). Total fouls: Piedmont 11, White Plains 9.
Cherokee County 66, Gaylesville 27
GAYLESVILLE — Lauren Hammett 6 2-3 14, Heather Hamilton 2 0-0 5, Haley Bryson 0 0-0 0, Angel Woodall 1 0-0 3, Adrianna Valencia 1 3-4 5, Savannah Coker 0 0-3 0, Madelyn Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Breanna Boman 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 5-10 27.
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Meagan McGatha 2 0-0 5, Emily Ransum 2 3-5 7, Kendal Perry 3 0-0 8, Coley Battles 2 0-0 4, Emily Williams 9 2-3 22, Jennifer Proctor 1 1-2 3, Crimson Mahanna 3 1-2 7, Jenson Aleander 1 0-0 2, Ashley Acrey 3 0-0 8. Totals 26 7-12 66.
Gaylesville 8 7 7 7 — 29
Cherokee Co. 20 23 16 7 — 66
3-point goals: Gaylesville 2 (Hamilton, Woodall); Cherokee County 7 (McGatha, Perry 2, Williams 2, Acrey 2). Total fouls: Gaylesville 11, Cherokee Co. 8. Officials: Clark, Glover, Harwood.
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