Weaver tops area
- Updated: January 15, 2019
Girls roundup: Weaver locks down No. 1 seed in 3A Area 11, PV plays everyone in win over Saks, Anniston runs past White Plains, and more
TUESDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Anniston 72, White Plains 24
Cherokee County 53, Jacksonville 27
Clay Central at Handley
Cleburne County 40, Lincoln 34
Etowah 43, Alexandria 35
Munford at Talladega County Central
Ohatchee 55, Westbrook Christian 28
Pleasant Valley 48, Saks 27
Ragland 63, ASD 30
Ranburne 67, Donoho 42
Spring Garden 70, Jacksonville Christian 21
Weaver 55, Piedmont 51
Winterboro at Victory Christian
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
PIEDMONT – Gary Atchley worries before every game his Weaver girls basketball team plays, but Tuesday he was a little more unsettled than usual.
His Lady Bearcats had a lot more going on than just the prospect of playing a game that required more focus than the norm. Leading scorer Caleigh Cortez lost her grandmother over the weekend and that emotion was felt throughout the team.
But they came through all the adversity and held off Piedmont 55-51 to clinch the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the Class 3A Area 11 tournament outright for the first time.
“I was nervous because our hearts are heavy,” Atchley said. “I was nervous about this game, I was nervous about us mentally. We had a rough practice (Monday after getting the news); I didn’t know how we were going to play. We played about like I thought we’d play.”
The Lady Bearcats fell behind 6-0 in the first 90 seconds of the game in part because Piedmont forced and converted back-to-back turnovers into layups. But they eventually came around and opened a 13-point lead three minutes into the second quarter.
But Piedmont didn’t fold and staged a rally of its own, ultimately taking a 31-30 lead midway through the third quarter. With Kayley Kirk and Madison Tyree hitting the 3-ball and Sydney Prater doing her thing, the Lady Bulldogs kept it tight the rest of the game.
Weaver eventually regained the lead and held onto it down the stretch sealing it with a series of free throws in the final 90 seconds.
“I have not questioned my girls’ toughness all year long and they proved in the second half what kind of team we are,” Atchley said. “They played their guts out.”
The Lady Bearcats got strong efforts from Abby Gaines, Trinity Pulliam and Haley Homesley.
Gaines scored 10 points and hit two 3-pointers at important points in the game; her 3 with 1:06 left in the third quarter gave Weaver the lead for good. Pulliam was a force inside, finishing with nine points and blocking four shots in the second half. And Homesley came off the bench to score 11 points and grab 10 rebounds.
“The last game I didn’t play so well, so I had to come back and redeem myself,” Pulliam said.
The Lady Bearcats last served as top-seeded area tournament hosts two years ago, but won that on a coin toss. Had they lost here they would have had another opportunity to clinch on the last weekend of the season, but they were glad to get it done with time to spare.
“I had two chances to get it,” Atchley said. “I sure wanted to get it before the county tournament. I didn’t want to have to played Piedmont at my place to see who was going to host. I didn’t want to go to a three-way tie with them (and Pleasant Valley).”
Now their playoff plans involving awaiting the winner of the 4-5 play-in game between Wellborn and Saks. Piedmont, meanwhile, will face Pleasant Valley for a fourth time this season (thanks to their county tournament pairings) in a game that will guarantee the winner a place in the substate round and send the loser home.
The Lady Bulldogs might have had a better fate Tuesday had they made more free throws and not missed so many short shots around the basket.
The loss spoiled a monster game by Prater. The senior who recently went over 1,000 career points scored 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the floor, grabbed 15 rebounds and had three blocked shots.
WEAVER 55, PIEDMONT 51
WEAVER – Caleigh Cortez 3 3-6 9, Kiese Hubbard 0 0-0 0, Maleah Foster 3 4-9 13, Trinity Pulliam 3 3-6 9, Abby Gaines 4 0-0 10, Dijinea Anderson 0 0-0 0, Amira Carter 1 1-3 3, Haley Homesley 5 0-3 11. Totals 19 11-22 55.
PIEDMONT – Kayley Kirk 4 1-2 11, Lele Ridley 2 0-0 4, Madison Tyree 2 0-0 6, Z’Hayla Walker 0 0-0 0, Sydney Prater 10 9-18 30, Kiara Jackson 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-20 51
Weaver 17 13 5 20 – 55
Piedmont 9 14 11 17 – 51
3-point goals: Weaver 6 (Foster 3, Gaines 2, Homesley); Piedmont 5 (Kirk 2, Tyree 2, Prater). Total fouls: Weaver 11, Piedmont 16. Officials: Kelley, Miller, Weeks.
Cover photo: Weaver’s Haley Homesley (41) is crowded by the Piedmont defense as she puts up a shot from under the basket. (Photo by Greg Warren)
ANNISTON 72, WHITE PLAINS 24
The Lady Bulldogs started fast, opening a 32-2 lead in the first quarter, and didn’t really need much more. Airriana Colley led Anniston with 16 points behind four 4-pointers, while Allasha Dudley and Toniah Foster had 15 each.
Anniston 72, White Plains 24
WHITE PLAINS – Callyn Martin 2 0-0 5, Cheyenne Cochran 1 0-2 3, Camden Wilson 1 0-0 2, Lily Ponder 3 0-0 8, Adrianna Sotelo 0 0-0 0, Jocelyn Harris 1 0-0 2, Kaylee Johnson 1 2-4 4, Hallie Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 2-6 24.
ANNISTON – Allasha Dudley 6 0-0 15, Measia Kelley 1 2-5 4, Anna Garrett 1 1-1 3, Charliese Simmons 1 0-0 2, Shiwanna Jackson 0 1-2 1, Khyla Garrett 0 0-0 0, Jordyn Johnson 3 0-0 7, Tiauna Thomas 0 0-0 0, Airriana Colley 5 2-2 16, Tekyia Jackson 1 0-0 2, Kiana Montgomery 3 0-0 7, Toniah Foster 6 1-2 15. Totals 27 7-12 72.
White Plains 2 2 15 5 – 24
Anniston 32 7 22 11 – 72
3-point goals: White Plains 4 (Martin, Cochran, Ponder 2); Anniston 11 (Dudley 3, Johnson, Colley 4, Montgomery, Foster 2). Total fouls: White Plains 8, Anniston 10.
CHEROKEE COUNTY 53, JACKSONVILLE 27
JACKSONVILLE – The Lady Warriors grabbed a six-point first-quarter lead and then held Jacksonville scoreless for the rest of the half. The Lady Golden Eagles tried to get back in it by shooting 3s, but were just 4-of-22 from behind the arc.
Jordyn Starr led three Cherokee County scorers in double figures with 19 points. Laney Johnson had 15 points (plus five steals and three assists) and Kayleigh Hunter had 10 points and seven rebounds. Kayla Broom led Jacksonville with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Cherokee County 53, Jacksonville 24
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Jordyn Starr 8-13 3-4 19, Laney Johnson 5-11 2-2 15, Kayleigh Hunter 4-7 2-2 10, Crimson Mahannah 2-4 0-0 4, Carson Mahannah 1-2 0-0 2, Aubrie Williams 1-3 0-2 2, Sydney Whisenant 0-2 1-2 1, Audrey Wester 0-1 0-0 0, Alexia Wood 0-0 0-0 0, Caitlyn Elrod 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-44 8-12 53.
JACKSONVILLE – Kayla Broom 6-8 0-0 12, TiAsia Williams 2-5 0-0 6, Patience Carr 1-12 0-0 3, Malijah Goggins 1-7 0-0 3, Amarie Curry 1-2 0-1 2, Aly Meagher 0-0 1-2 1, Brenna Stone 0-4 0-0 0, Rebekah Gannaway 0-2 0-0 0, Amia Montgomery 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 11-41 1-3 24.
Cherokee County 15 15 10 13 – 53
Jacksonville 9 0 9 9 – 27
3-point goals: Cherokee County 3-14 (Starr 0-4, Johnson 3-4, Ca. Mahannah 0-1, Williams 0-1, Whisenant 0-2, Wester 0-1); Jacksonville 4-22 (Broom 0-2, Williams 2-4, Carr 1-9, Goggins 1-5, Stone 0-1, Gannaway 0-1). Rebounds: Cherokee County 27
Jacksonville 28 (Broom 7). Total fouls: Cherokee County 8, Jacksonville 8.
ETOWAH 43, ALEXANDRIA 35
ATTALLA – Z’Niya Manning scored all eight of her points in the second half and Kynzlon Gibbs and Za’Nya McKenzie had five each in the fourth quarter as the Lady Blue Devils pulled away. McKenzie led Etowah with 14 points.
The Lady Cubs held a one-point lead in a low-scoring first half. Ashley Phillips hit two of her three 3-pointers in the half and was Alexandria’s leading scorer with 12 points in the game.
Etowah 43, Alexandria 35
ALEXANDRIA – Ashley Phillips 4 1-2 12, Sarah Pelham 2 1-3 5, LaToria Brewster 0 0-0 0, Kayleigh Steen 2 1-1 7, Kaitlin Harvey 1 0-0 2, Kameron Simpson 2 0-0 4, TyShica Woodgett 0 0-0 0, Maggie Phillips 2 1-2 5. Totals 13 4-8 35.
ETOWAH – Jaleigh Devine 1 0-0 2, Za’Nya McKenzie 6 2-6 14, Abbagile Martin 1 4-12 6, Z’Niya Manning 3 0-0 8, Laura Wood 1 0-0 2, Shy’ere Gibbs 0 2-2 2, Amayah Ash 0 0-0 0, Kynzlon Gibbs 3 1-3 7, Alyssa Davis 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 9-26 43.
Alexandria 5 6 9 15 – 35
Etowah 5 4 13 21 – 43
3-point goals: Alexandria 5 (A. Phillips 3, Steen 2); Etowah 2 (Manning 2). Total fouls: Alexandria 20, Etowah 12. Officials: Battles, Rary, Aldridge.
PLEASANT VALLEY 48, SAKS 27
The Lady Raiders built a 30-point lead in the third quarter it allowed coach Brad Hood to play all 14 players good minutes and eight of them scored.
Chandler Dorsett led Pleasant Valley with 11 points. Halimah Binyamin led Saks with 10. PV’s Emma Hood scored eight and needs just 14 to become the next player in Calhoun County to score 1,000 career points.
Pleasant Valley 48, Saks 27
PLEASANT VALLEY – Brooke Perry 1 1-2 3, Lindsey Pritchett 1 0-0 3, Ava Boozer 0 0-0 0, Rylee Haynes 2 3-6 7, Anna Worthy 0 0-0 0, Marlie Wright 1 0-2 2, Eva Bryant 0 0-0 0, Chandler Dorsett 3 3-3 11, Gracie Hood 0 0-0 0, Emma Hood 3 2-4 8, Macey Roper 2 1-2 5, Kiana Simpson 0 0-0 0, Erin Rose 0 0-0 0, Karmyn Sparks 3 3-4 9. Totals 16 13-19 48.
SAKS – Amya Carlise 0 0-0 0, DeAvian Stewart 1 1-2 3, Deja Almon 0 0-2 0, Halimah Binyamin 5 0-1 10, Alicia Gooden 1 0-2 2, Destini Elston 1 1-2 3, Teana Edwards 3 3-4 9. Totals 11 5-13 27.
Pleasant Valley 12 13 20 3 – 48
Saks 4 7 3 13 – 27
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 3 (Pritchett, Dorsett 2). Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 16, Saks 16. Officials: Strong, Henson, Bankston.
CLEBURNE COUNTY 40, LINCOLN 34
LINCOLN – The Lady Tigers took a big step towards avoiding the No. 4 seed in their area tournament with the victory. A Talladega victory over Lincoln Friday will get them the No. 3 seed. A Lincoln victory will throw the race into a three-way tie and force a coin toss to determine the tournament seedings.
Cleburne County 40, Lincoln 34
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Olivia McDaniel 4 0-8 6, Kendall Houston 3 1-2 8, Haven Freeman 0 0-0 0, Micha Pentacost 1 0-0 2, Brooklyn McDaniel 2 5-8 9, Haley Price 2 2-4 8, Haley Roberts 0 0-0 0, Jacy Littleton 1 2-2 5. Totals 13 10-24 40.
LINCOLN – Bailey Gowers 0 4-7 4, Makayla Groce 1 0-4 2, Jayla Morris 2 0-0 4, Jaylah King 3 1-2 8, Keishaunna Strown 3 0-3 8, Abby Smith 1 1-2 3, Taylor Conway 2 1-4 5. Totals 12 7-22 34
Cleburne County 4 12 9 15 – 40
Lincoln 5 4 13 12 – 34
3-point goals: Cleburne County 4 (Houston, Price 2, Littleton); Lincoln 3 (King, Strown 2).
Fouled out: Conway. Total fouls: Cleburne County 18, Lincoln 19.
OHATCHEE 55, WESTBROOK CHRISTIAN 28
RAINBOW CITY – Tori Vice scored 28 points and the Lady Indians held their opponent scoreless in the first quarter to score the area victory. Vice had 10 points in the opening quarter as Ohatchee opened a 16-0 lead. Jorda Crook added 11 points, scoring nine in the second half.
Ohatchee 55, Westbrook 28
OHATCHEE – Gracyn Snow 2 0-1 5, Jazmine Adams 3 0-0 7, Tori Vice 8 4-9 23, Gracie George 0 1-2 1, Millie Rainwater 0 2-4 2, Regan Snow 3 0-3 6, Jorda Crook 5 1-5 11. Totals 21 8-24 55.
WESTBROOK – Brielle Wood 4 7-11 15, Autumn Ingle 2 0-0 5, Liana Shah 1 0-0 2, Kirsi Gupta 1 0-0 3, Emberlie O’Sullivan 0 1-2 1, Sara King 0 0-0 0, McKayla Bean 0 0-2 0 Allie Blevins 1 0-0 2, Totals 9 8-15 28.
Ohatchee 16 11 19 9 – 55
Westbrook 0 8 10 10 – 28
3-point goals: Ohatchee 5 (G. Snow, Adams, Vice 3); Westbrook 2 (Ingle, Gupta). Fouled out: G. Snow, Wood. Total fouls: Ohatchee 14, Westbrook 20.
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