Prater powers Piedmont

Girls roundup: Junior forward rediscovers passion for the game, earns MVP honors as Piedmont wins Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic girls title

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

HEFLIN – Way back in the summer Sydney Prater wasn’t sure she wanted to play basketball any more. She still was struggling with the impact of a knee injury she suffered two years ago and didn’t know if she still had passion to play.

But Friday night as she clutched the most valuable player award she just collected at midcourt and thought of all the fun she’s been having with her Piedmont teammates this year, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

Prater capped a big tournament week with 16 points and 14 rebounds to help the Lady Bulldogs take down host Cleburne County 52-39 and win the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic.

The 6-0 junior scored 55 points in the three tournament games. She also grabbed 37 rebounds, blocked six shots and had five steals and four assists.

“This means so much to me,” Prater said. “When I decided to come back and play I knew they were special and I’m thankful for coach (Terrace) Ridley for asking me to come back. It’s just been a really fun season, completely different from last season. We might only have eight players, but we’re all really a team and we have a good bond.”

After missing her freshman season with the knee injury, Prater played last year as a sophomore, but “just wasn’t feeling it” and thought a year away might do her good. She didn’t try out for the team again or participate in summer drills, but her mother wanted her play and after talking with Ridley decided to return “because I knew I belonged on the court for us.”

“I told her this team needed a leader on the court,” Ridley said. “I’ve got a couple girls on the junior high who look up to her, they love her, and I needed her around for that purpose for the younger girls.”

Prater suspected if she didn’t play she’d have been “sad at home” hearing her former teammates talking about the season they were having. Now that she’s returned, Ridley has noticed her confidence level has gone through the roof.

“It’s been a lot more fun,” Prater said.

The Lady Bulldogs (8-4) also got big tournaments from two of their youngest players. Freshman Pinky Nation had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the title game and finished with 39 points in the tournament. Seventh-grader Kayley Kirk hit three 3-pointers in the second half and finished with a team-high 18 points in the final; she had 57 points in the tournament.

“That tells me we’ve got a bright future ahead of us if these girls will stick with it,” Ridley said. “I believe these two girls right here are ball players, year-round ball players.”

Senior Kaitlyn Ridley scored only eight points in the championship game, but she does so much more for the team than score. She had 16 rebounds, 15 assists and nine steals in the three victories.

Weaver 43, Etowah 21: Caliegh Cortez scored six of her 12 points in a 16-2 second quarter that gave the Lady Bearcats control of the game. Rayne Beck went 4-for-6 from the free throw line in the quarter.

Glencoe Holiday Shootout
Glencoe 63, Oxford 45: The homestanding Lady Jackets used balanced scoring and a big second half to reach the championship game of their own tournament. Anna Beth Giles and Breia Little both scored 14 points for Glencoe and Ashley Morgan had 11, with 10 coming in the second half. Three other players had at least five. Oxford, meanwhile, had trouble getting its shots to fall in the third quarter and second half. Anna Bolton scored eight of her nine points in the fourth quarter. Glencoe will play Fort Payne at 6 p.m. tonight for the title. Oxford plays Oneonta at noon.

Asbury Christmas Classic
Pleasant Valley 55, Brindlee Mountain 35: Emma Hood put the wraps on a big tournament week, scoring 30 points for the Lady Raiders. She scored 73 points in three tournament games. Haley Green sored 21 for Brindlee Mountain.

Regular season
Jacksonville 53, JCA 32: Kayla Broom led Jacksonville with 20 points and eight rebounds. Kylie Cupp went for 14 points and seven rebounds for JCA.

FRIDAY’S GIRLS BOX SCORES

Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic
Championship Game
Piedmont 52, Cleburne County 39
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Alisia Person 3 1-1 9, Olivia McDaniel 3 0-2 6, Chelsea Parker 2 0-0 4, Alex Casey 3 0-0 7, Brooklyn McDaniel 0 3-4 3, Haven Freeman 1 0-0 2, Tatiana Ervin 0 0-0 0, Kendall Houston 4 0-0 8. Totals 16 4-7 39.

PIEDMONT (8-4) – Kayley Kirk 6 3-5 18, Kaitlyn Ridley 2 4-12 8, Pinky Nation 5 0-3 10, Camron Logan 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Jackson 0 0-0 0, Sydney Prater 6 3-5 16, Kiara Jackson 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 10-25 52.

Cleburne County 7 12 8 12 — 39
Piedmont 11 13 10 18 — 52

3-point goals: Cleburne County 3 (Person 2, Casey); Piedmont 4 (Kirk 3, Prater). Total fouls: Cleburne County 20, Piedmont 11. Officials: Howell, Kelley, Barber.

Weaver 43, Etowah 21
WEAVER – Caleigh Cortez 5 2-2 12, Kylee Jordan 2 0-0 4, Rayne Beck 1 4-6 6, Emily Reed 4 0-0 9, Amira Carter 0 2-2 2, McKenna Flynn 0 0-0 0, Abby Gaines 2 1-2 5, Trinity Pullium 2 1-1 5. Totals 16 10-13 43.

ETOWAH – Abbagile Martin 1 1-2 3, Jamya Watson 0 1-2 1, Zniya Manning 0 0-0 0, Zanya McKenzie 0 1-4 1, Leonna Trammel 1 0-0 2, Shyere Gibbs 0 0-0 0, Areona Vinson 2 0-0 4, Kynzlon Gibbs 1 0-0 2, McKalah Gooden 4 0-3 8. Totals 9 3-11 21.

Weaver 8 16 9 10 — 43
Etowah 6 2 4 9 — 21

3-point goals: Weaver 1 (Reed). Total fouls: Weaver 13, Etowah 16. Officials: Boyd, Williams, Dickerson.

Regular season
Jacksonville 53, Jacksonville Christian 32
JACKSONVILLE – Kayla Broom 10-16 0-1 20, Kyra Williams 6-12 0-0 12, Aniya Jefferson 4-11 1-3 9, Essence Hutchinson 4-6 0-0 8, Elizabeth Poe 2-6 0-0 4, TiAsia Williams 0-3 0-0 0, Malijah Goggins 0-4 0-1 0, Destoni Edwards 0-1 0-0 0, Idea Gray 0-0 0-0 0, Amia Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0, Sarah Quinn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 1-5 53.

JCA – Kylie Cupp 5-9 0-0 13, Sidney Hancock 4-4 3-4. Briah Cupp 2-13 0-0 4, Kortney Wallace 1-2 0-0 2, Elizabeth Goss 0-2 1-4 1, Madison Sexton 0-2 0-0 0, Jacie Brackett 0-0 0-0 0, Rebekah Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Amelisa Morales 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 12-37 4-8 32.

Jacksonville 16 18 14 5 — 53
JCA 4 6 8 14 — 32

3-point goals: Jacksonville 0-6 (Broom 0-1, K. Williams 0-1, Hutchinson 0-2, Goggins 0-2); JCA 4-15 (K. Cupp 3-4, B. Cupp 1-7, Sexton 0-2, Morales 0-2). Rebounds: Jacksonville 36 (Broom 8); JCA 30 (K. Cupp 7, B. Cupp 7). Total fouls: Jacksonville 13, JCA 11.

Glencoe Holiday Shootout
Glencoe 63, Oxford 45
OXFORD – Anna Bolton 3 2-5 9, Makayla Kidd 2 1-6 6, Halaya Harmon 0 0-0 0, Ashleigh Jackson 1 0-0 2, Trem Britt 3 0-0 7, Akiera Robinson 2 1-2 5, Aumaria Lindsey 2 0-0 4, JaMyia Byrd 0 0-0 0, Justyce Smith 5 2-7 12, Kaylyn Hendrix 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 6-20 45.

GLENCOE – Anna Grace Goodwin 0 2-4 2, Anna Beth Giles 5 4-6 14, Abby Vice 3 0-3 7, Ashley Morgan 3 5-8 11, Kenleigh Harper 2 1-2 5, Lauren Cole 2 0-0 5, Kaylie Davis 1 0-0 2, Brea Little 4 4-8 14, Aubrey Gray 0 3-6 3. Totals 20 19-37 63

Oxford 11 12 6 16 — 45
Glencoe 15 9 15 24 — 63

3-point goals: Oxford 3 (Bolton, Kidd, Britt); Glencoe 4 (Vice, Cole, Little). Fouled out: Smith, Lindsey. Total fouls: Oxford 29, Glencoe 16. Officials: Lemon, Woods, Brown.

Asbury Christmas Classic
Pleasant Valley 55, Brindlee Mountain 35
BRINDLEE MOUNTAIN – Lily Graham 0 0-0 0, Amy Mooneyham 1 0-1 2, Chantzel Kirkland 0 2-5 2, Zoe Decker 3 2-4 8 Haley Green 10 1-4 21, Adri Karper 1 0-0 2, Grace Taylien 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 5-14 35.

PLEASANT VALLEY – Lindsey Pritchett 1 0-0 3, Mac Parris 2 2-2 8, Rylee Haynes 3 1-4 9, Alyssa Cash 1 0-0 2, Bailey Dollar 0 0-0 0, Chandler Dorsett 0 0-2 0, Emma Hood 11 8-14 30, Carmyn Sparks 1 1-6 3. Totals 19 12-28

Brindlee Mountain 5 8 8 14 — 35
Pleasant Valley 15 7 18 15 — 55

3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 5 (Pritchett, Parris 2, Haynes 2). Fouled out: Haynes, Taylien. Total fouls: Brindlee Mountain 20, Pleasant Valley 18. Officials: Walton, Talley, Jacks.

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