Girls openers
- Updated: November 16, 2016
Anniston rallies from slow start, but comes up short against Sylacauga; Pleasant Valley looks sharp against Ashville; Bennett gets first Oxford victory
Anniston’s Carlina Welch flies through the entire Sylacauga defense on her way to the basket Tuesday night. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
By East Alabama Sports Today
ANNISTON (Nov. 15) — Considering the level of experience the two teams had, Anniston girls basketball coach Eddie Bullock didn’t feel too badly about the way things turned out.
Bullock’s Lady Bulldogs, who return only one starter from last year’s Final Four team, dropped its season-opener to a veteran Sylacauga team 63-53 Tuesday night. The Lady Aggies were returning four starters and added former Saks starter Bryanna Browning to fill the missing piece.
“I don’t think it’ll be a tough year; you’re talking about playing a Top 10 5A school,” Bullock said. “It’s about what I expected. I felt like we could beat them, but I felt like we could beat them, but I felt like they would be smarter because I lost four starters and he has four starters back.
“Experience wise he had the edge on me, but I know how we play. I know what we bring to the table, so we always have a chance to win. We gave ourselves a chance to win tonight, but a month down the road we’ll be much better.”
The Lady Bulldogs fell behind out of the gate 7-0, but made a game of it in the second half thanks to their trademark defense. They trailed by 15 late in the third quarter and 13 early in the fourth. But they fought back and made it a five-point game with 5:05 left and a three-point game after Keandra Finley’s steal and layup with 1:37 to play.
It was 54-51 when they turned it over it over three straight times, all after getting a takeaway of their own
The Lady Bulldogs got a game-high 22 points from Miajah Bullock, their only return starter from last year’s team, and got a big boost from Toniah Foster. The sophomore scored 11 points, but was a presence down low and even hit a 3-pointer.
“Nobody knew I had her,” Bullock said.
Well, the secret’s out now.
Sylacauga 63, Anniston 53
SYLACAUGA (1-0) – Aurielle Turner 1 0-0 2, Morgan O’Neal 0 1-2 1, Kayla Dark 8 4-8 23, Yamesha Powell 0 0-0 0, Briasia Richardson 3 1-2 7, Tierra Dark 7 2-4 18, Bryanna Browning 3 6-14 12, Jamya Looney 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-30 63.
ANNISTON (0-1) – Miajah Bullock 7 7-13 22, Carlina Welch 1 3-4 5, Keandra Finley 5 0-0 11, Amoriya Dudley 0 0-0 0, Toniah Foster 5 0-1 11, Viera Edmondson 0 0-0 0, Jordyn Johnson 1 0-0 2, Teryia Jackson 0 0-0 0, Monteiga Clemons 0 2-6 2. Totals 19 12-24 53.
Sylacauga 16 19 14 14 — 63
Anniston 11 15 11 16 — 53
3-point goals: Sylacauga 5 (K. Dark 3, T. Dark 2); Anniston 3 (Bullock, Finley, Foster). Fouled out: Bullock, Welch. Total fouls: Sylacauga 21, Anniston 20. Officials: Stan Smith, Calvin Oden, Daniel Robinson.
PLEASANT VALLEY 59, ASHVILLE 29
ASHVILLE – Three days after winning a second straight cross-country state championship, Pleasant Valley coach Brad Hood was back at it on the basketball court and once against the Lady Raiders seem to have made a seamless transition from one sport to the other.
The Lady Raiders hit eight 3-pointers – five by Atleigh Brannon – and were 13 of 16 from the foul line. They hit three 3-pointers in each of the first two quarters and made nine free throws in the third. Brannon led all scorers with 26 points.
Pleasant Valley 59, Ashville 29
PLEASANT VALLEY (1-0) – Kara Perry 1 0-0 2, Lindsey Pritchett 2 0-0 5, Mac Parris 4 5-6 14, Atleigh Brannon 9 3-4 26, Kaylee Lawler 0 0-0 0, Taylor Barthel 0 0-0 0, Mikala Simpson 2 5-8 10, Courtney Upton 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 13-18 59.
ASHVILLE (0-1) – Savanna Hale 0 0-0 0. Erika Williams 3 0-2 7, Riley Wilbanks 0 3-6 3, Francis Landaverde 1 1-2 3, Tabitha Martin 2 0-0 4, Hannah Lauderdale 6 0-0 12, Taylor Crews 0 0-0 0, Leighton Gowens 0 0-0 0, Nalina Acosta 0 0-0 0, Lexie Beaty 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 4-16 29.
Pleasant Valley 15 15 23 6 — 59
Ashville 8 6 9 6 — 29
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 8 (Pritchett, Parris, Brannon 5, Simpson); Ashville 1 (Williams). Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 14, Ashville 16. Officials: D. Bice, C. Graves, J. Manon.
OXFORD 61, FAITH CHRISTIAN 39
ANNISTON — The Lady Jackets got big games from Justyce Smith, Tremeria Britt and Quameria Britt to give Melissa Bennett her first victory as their head coach.
Smith, a sophomore, had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. T. Britt, a junior, had 16 points and seven steals, while Q. Britt, a senior, snagged 18 rebounds.
Bennett, a former Opelika assistant coach, was hired in the offseason to succeed Tonya Peoples, who stepped away from coaching to spend more time with her family.
Oxford 61, Faith Christian 39
Oxford 19 16 16 10 — 61
Faith 8 13 9 9 — 39
Anniston’s Toniah Foster (L) and Miajah Bullock trap Sylacauga’s Kayla Dark into a turnover in the second half Tuesday night. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
On the cover: Anniston coach Eddie Bullock shares a moment with Sylacauga’s Derrick Crawford before Tuesday night’s game. To see more of photographer B.J. Franklin’s work from the doubleheader visit www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com
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