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Into the finals

Girls roundup: Piedmont, Ranburne advance to girls title game in Gaston Christmas Classic; Oxford gets area win, Spring Garden has 3-for-all

Tuesday’s girls scores
Regular season
Oxford 56, Southside 48

Cherokee County Christmas Invitational
At Gaylesville H.S.
Springville 66, Cherokee County 40
Spring Garden 93, Chattooga 49
Sand Rock 50, Handley 44
Collinsville 56, Cedar Bluff 28

Gaston Christmas Classic
Ranburne 53, Gaston 16
Piedmont 68, Ashville 42
Talladega Co. Central 52, West End 33
Southeastern 59, Gaston 37

By East Alabama Sports Today

GASTON – Lele Ridley scored 25 points and grabbed 18 rebounds Tuesday and Ava Pope scored 20 to lead Piedmont to a 68-42 victory over Ashville and a spot in the girls championship game of the Gaston Christmas Classic.

The Lady Bulldogs will play Ranburne for the title Wednesday.

Ridley, Pope and Z’Hayla Walker combined for all 20 of Piedmont’s first-quarter points on the way to a 20-7 lead. Walker finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Emily Farmer scored seven points and grabbed eight boards.

RANBURNE 53, GASTON 16: The Lady Bulldogs put together another strong defensive effort to secure their spot in the title game. 

They held Gaston to two field goals in the second half and three over the final three quarters. They had 16 steals and 12 deflections. Briley Merrill had five steals, six deflections and three blocked shots.

Julianna Merrill led the offense with 12 points. Natalie Merrill, Abigail Howle and Kayli Olds had nine points apiece. Olds grabbed 15 rebounds.

Gaston Christmas Classic
Piedmont 68, Ashville 42
PIEDMONT (6-3) – Ava Pope 7 4-4 20, Jaycee Glover 2 0-0 5, Lele Ridley 10 4-9 25, Armoni Perry 0 0-0 0, Gracie Naugher 0 0-0 0, Z’Hayla Walker 5 1-7 11, Emily Farmer 3 0-0 7. Totals 27 9-20 65.
ASHVILLE – Reece Waid 1 0-1 2, Carley Thomason 4 4-8 12, Lesleigh Rogers 0 0-0 0, Rachel St. John 0 0-0 0, Ryleigh Waid 4 4-5 14, Meghan McCarthy 3 0-0 6, Zahkiyla Cook 0 0-0 0, Sera Potter 0 5-6 5, Molly Northam 1 1-1 3. Totals 13 14-21 42.
Piedmont              20   16  14   18    –   68
Ashville                 7     12  15   8     –   42
3-point goals: Piedmont 5 (Pope 2, Glover, Ridley, Farmer); Ashville 2 (Waid 2). Total fouls: Piedmont 14, Ashville 13.

Ranburne 53, Gaston 16
RANBURNE – Autumn Phillips 2 0-0 4, Briley Merrill 3 1-2 7, Julianna Merrill 6 0-0 12, Kayli Olds 4 1-2 9, Abigail Howle 3 2-6 9, Natalie Merrill 3 0-0 9, Auburn Rollins 0 0-0 0, Crimson Rollins 1 1-2 3. Totals 22 5-12 53.
GASTON – Makiyah Underwood 0 2-8 2, Reanna Watson 1 0-0 3, Tracionna Jones 4 1-2 9, Randi Morgan 0 0-0 0, Emma Parker 0 0-2 0, Lily Lewis 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lowrey 0 0-0 0, Charlotte Whitmore 1 0-0 2, Indya Price 0 0-0 0, Ivy Dupree 0 0-0 0, Shelby Waters 0 0-0 0, Torriana Kouliho 0 0-0 0, Hallie Oliver 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 3-12 16.
Ranburne              12  13  22 6     –  53
Gaston                    7    3   4    2     –  16
3-point goals: Ranburne 4 (Howle, N. Merrill 3); Gaston 1 (Watson). Total fouls: Ranburne 10, Gaston 10. Officials: Hall, Jonathan, Avery.

Cherokee Co. Invitational
Spring Garden 93, Chattooga (Ga.) 49

GAYLESVILLE – The Lady Panthers hit 19 3-pointers, one shy of the state record.

They were 19-of-33 from behind the arc in the game (32-of-50 overall). Every Spring Garden player hit at least one, with Sarah Kate McKay and Abbey Steward each hitting four. Lexy Adkison and Neely Welsh each had three.

“It was a combination of good ball movement and just hot hands,” Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin said.

The effort helped the Lady Panthers put five starters in double figures – Welsh (21), Adkison (19), McKay (14), Steward (14) and Ace Austin (12). Austin also had 12 assists and eight rebounds.

“I think the goal looked as big as Weiss Lake today,” Austin said. “We have been playing good the last two weeks; I think we just played loose and confident today. A big win over last year’s 2A state champion (Collinsville) gave us good feel today.”

According to the AHSAA record book, the Lady Panthers are the eighth girls team to hit at least 19 3-pointers in a game. The record is 20 by Cold Springs (2019), West Point (2019) and Locust Fork (2018).

Cold Springs (2018, 1999), North Sand Mountain (2010-11) and Clay-Chalkville (2008-09) have all hit 19 in a game.

The 24 3s by both team would be second on the single-game list. Cold Springs and Cleveland hold the record of 27 in their 2019 area tournament).

The Lady Panthers hit 16 in a game earlier this year against Gaston.

Cherokee County Invitational
Spring Garden 93, Chattooga (Ga.) 49
CHATTOOGA – Faith Ann Foster 1 1-2 4, Ella Martin 2 0-0 4, Sade Williamson 2 0-0 4, Tia Dunaway 1 0-0 2, Madison Hutchens 3 0-0 6, MeKiya Parrish 11 1-1 27, Neveah Morgan 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 2-3 49.
SPRING GARDEN – Ace Austin 5 0-0 12, Abbi Woods 1 0-3 3, Bri Boles 1 0-0 3, Sarah Kate McKay 5 0-0 14, Lexy Adkison 6 4-4 19, Neely Welsh 7 4-4 21, Abbey Steward 4 2-2 14, Maggie Jarrett 3 0-0 7. Totals 32 10-13 93.
Chattooga             15   12  15   7     –   49
Spring Garden    23   26   31  13   –   93
3-point goals: Chattooga 5 (Foster, Parrish 4); Spring Garden 19 (Austin 2, Woods, Boles, McKay 4, Adkison 3, Welsh 3, Steward 4, Jarrett). Total fouls: Chattooga 10, Spring Garden 4.

Regular season
Oxford 56, Southside 48

SOUTHSIDE – Kaleah Taylor scored 14 of her team-high 17 points in the first half and the Lady Jackets opened a 20-point lead before holding on for an area win in their last game before Christmas.

Taylor was among three Oxford scorers in double figures. LaMya McGrue scored 15 points and Lauren Ellard had 10. Southside’s Sydney Yancey led all scorers with 27 points.

Oxford 56, Southside 48
OXFORD – Justice Woods 2 0-1 5, Xai Whitfield 4 1-2 9, Lauren Ellard 4 2-3 10, LaMya McGrue 7 0-0 15, Kaleah Taylor 7 1-2 14, Emma McCullough 0 0-0 0, Lisa Montgomery 0 0-1 0, Ashley Paulson 0 0-0 0, Keziah Mickler 0 0-0 0, Jamea Gaston 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 4-9 56.
SOUTHSIDE – Kynsey Marble 0 0-0 0, Lexi Darnell 0 0-0 0, Lexy Cline 1 0-0 2, Sydney Yancey 9 9-11 27, Lynnsey Hunt 3 0-0 7, Sara Kate Yancey 0 0-0 0, Ziniah Hardy 0 2-2 2, Jovi Marble 1 0-0 2, Allyson Gilliland 3 0-0 6, Madison Shaw 0 2-4 2. Totals 17 13-17 48.
Oxford            23  18   9    6     –   56 
Southside      10   13  11  14   –   48
3-point goals: Oxford 4 (Woods, McGrue, Taylor 2); Southside1 (Hunt). Technical fouls: Montgomery. Total fouls: Oxford 18, Southside 15. Officials: Graves, Bowman, Austin.



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