The Pope of Piedmont
- Updated: February 8, 2022
Girls area tournament roundup: Piedmont sophomore goes for career-high 35, closes in on 1,000; Ohatchee, Alexandria, JCA, Saks all advance to tournament finals
TUESDAY’S GAMES
5A-11: Alexandria 55, Lincoln 31
5A-11: Moody 40, St. Clair County 33
4A-10: Etowah 44, Jacksonville 39
4A-10: Cherokee County 53, Ashville 25
3A-9: Saks 42, Wellborn 27
3A-11 Ohatchee 59, Weaver 26
3A-11 Piedmont 58, Pleasant Valley 44
1A-10: Jacksonville Christian 57, Faith Christian 44
1A-10 Ragland 58, Coosa Christian 14
By East Alabama Sports Today
OHATCHEE — Ava Pope is focused every time she steps in the gym, but Tuesday night when her team needed it the most she may have been more focused than she’d been for any game of her career.
The sophomore scored a career-high 35 points to move within two points of becoming the second Piedmont player to reach 1,000 this season in leading the Lady Bulldogs to a 58-44 win over Pleasant Valley in the Class 3A Area 11 Tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs will play top-seeded host Ohatchee for the area tournament title Thursday night. They’ve already clinched a berth in the subregion round of the playoffs (against either Childersburg or Saks).
A loss in Tuesday’s game would have ended the Lady Bulldogs’ season, but Pope did all she could to see that didn’t happen.
She was 8-of-16 from the field, 5-of-10 from 3-point range and 14-of-14 from the free throw line. She has made her last 23 free throws in a row. Her last miss came on her final attempt in the second overtime against White Plains (and she was 5-of-6 in that game).
She had 22 points — and all her free throws — in the second half against the Lady Raiders.
“I could definitely tell, even when I first walked in the gym, I was focusing in, I was mentally prepared,” Pope said. “I knew I was going to have a good game tonight. I just had a feeling.”
Pope needed 37 points to join LeLe Ridley on Piedmont’s 1,000-point list this season and coach Terrace Ridley apologized for not being more aware of where she stood earlier in the game. But in her defense who expects a player to go for 35?
“That wasn’t on my mind,” Ridley said. “I just wanted her to play good. I told her there wasn’t anybody who could guard her. That’s the type player Ava Pope has to be every ballgame and he has been for the last four or five ballgames.”
Indeed. In the seven games since missing the Cleburne County game with an ankle injury, Pope is averaging 18.7 ppg and hit 31 of 33 free throws. She’s had 20 points or more three times in the run, including her previous career high of 27 in that double overtime game with White Plains.
It’s certainly coming at the right time.
“It’s the end of the season, I knew I had to come in focused,” Pope said. “Big game. I’m focused in every game but this one I was especially focused. I’ve had this goal since the beginning of the season that we wanted to go to regionals and winning this game, beating PV, was going to be key to that, give us a chance.”
The Lady Raiders opened the game with a slow-down style designed to spread the floor in hopes of reducing Piedmont’s advantage on the boards. They had to abandon it after falling behind 10-0, and after picking up the pace they closed to within five at halftime.
“I didn’t feel like we could play 70 or 80 possessions and rebound with them; obviously, we hadn’t all year,” PV coach Colton Morris said. “So, we were just going to see if they were going to set there or come out and I felt like if they come out, we had a good chance of spreading them out.”
The Lady Bulldogs were fine with however the Lady Raiders wanted to play.
“I think they tried to come out and get in our head a little bit and think we’re not going to let Piedmont run it,” Ridley said. “I thought we’re going to step up to them now and we’re going to score and when we score if they want to play that stall stuff we’re going to be up, we’ll go out that quarter 10-0 if we have to.”
Piedmont came out hot in the second half and went on a 10-3 run in the first three minutes of the quarter to move back comfortably ahead.
OHATCHEE 59, WEAVER 26: It’s playoff time and that typically has brought out the best in Jorda Crook.
Ohatchee coach Bryant Ginn recalled last year Crook was at the peak of her game in the final stretch of games that included the playoffs, and she’s off on the same kind of run this year.
Weaver just didn’t have an answer for her.
Crook was her usual dominant self, scoring 36 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. She had 14 in the first quarter and 25 in the first half.
She was 14-of-26 from the field, had four steals and five assists.
“I think she thrives in the moment,” Ginn said. “I think all our kids do. This time of the year raises your focus and intensity. There’s a sense of finality to it.”
“It’s win or go home,” Crook said. “You’ve got to play your heart out. It’s whoever wants it more. I think we want it, but we’ve got to want it more than we say we do. We have to show it.”
The Lady Indians broke out to a 20-4 first-quarter lead, but got what Ginn considered sloppy in the second quarter and extended their lead by only at halftime. They regrouped at a halftime and broke it open with a 20-2 third.
“I thought we played much better the second half,” Ginn said. “The first half wasn’t that bad, I just thought we got sloppy in the second quarter, trying to speed up too much. The second half we played like we wanted to. We thought we had an advantage down low, so we just tired to force-feed them and see what happens.”
Piedmont 58, Pleasant Valley 44
PLEASANT VALLEY – Lily Henry 2 0-0 6, Rylee Haynes 8 7-11 24, Marlie Wright 0 0-1 0, Kiana Hester 1 0-0 2, Gracie Hood 2 0-0 6, Macey Roper 3 0-0 6, Anna Worthy 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-12 44.
PIEDMONT – Ava Pope 8 14-14 35, Josie Young 0 0-0 0, Rylie Anne Holbrooks 0 0-0 0, Jaycee Glover 3 1-6 7, Melanie Studdard 0 0-0 0, Carson Young 0 0-0 0, Gracie Naugher 0 0-0 0, Z’Hayla Walker 3 2-4 8, Hannah Kate Barber 0 0-0 0, Emily Farmer 2 0-1 6. Totals 16 19-29 58.
Pleasant Valley 2 10 10 22 – 44
Piedmont 12 5 21 20 – 58
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 5 (Henry 2, Haynes, Hood 2); Piedmont 7 (Pope 5, Farmer 2). Fouled out: Wright, Roper. Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 22, Piedmont 16. Officials: Oden, Jackson, Moore.
Ohatchee 59, Weaver 26
WEAVER – Erionna Richmond 0 0-0 0, D.J. Gibbs 4 2-4 10, Madison Atchley 1 0-1 3, Naveah Hawkins 1 1-4 3, Tiana Lawrence 3 0-0 6, Taylor Lawrence 2 0-0 4. Totals 11 3-9 26.
OHATCHEE – Whitney McFry 0 0-0 0, Tabi Davidson 1 1-2 3, Morgan Foushee 1 0-2 2, Mia Waters 0 0-0 0, Gracie George 6 2-3 14, Millie Rainwater 1 0-2 3, Kiana Garber 0 1-4 1, Jorda Crook 14 8-14 36, Greenlee Orman 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 12-27 59.
Weaver 7 13 2 4 – 26
Ohatchee 20 14 20 5 – 59
3-point goals: Weaver 1 (Atchley); Ohatchee 1 (Rainwater). Technical fouls: Atchley. Fouled out: Ti. Lawrence. Total fouls: Weaver 22, Ohatchee 16. Officials: Davis, Walker, Washington.
Class 5A Area 11
The last time Alexandria coach Craig Kiker was in a coin toss for the No. 1 seed he won the toss and then lost in the area tournament championship game.
He’s hoping for a little better luck this time as the Lady Cubs moved into the area title game after sending Lincoln packing 55-31. They will play Moody Thursday for the championship and a home game in the subregion round.
Alexandria won the toss for this year’s No. 1 seed last week. The only other time Kiker had been involved in a toss, the Lady Cubs were tied with Southside. The Panthers’ side didn’t come up, but in spite of the home court advantage the Lady Cubs eventually lost in the finals.
“We don’t want to do that again, that’s for sure,” Kiker said.
Jordyn Walker led the Lady Cubs with 19 points. Jill Cockrell hit five 3-pointers and scored 18.
“I didn’t think we really played real good in the first half, we got outrebounded real bad and were sloppy with the ball,” Kiker said. “Luckily, we made shots in the first half.”
Cockrell hit two 3s in the first quarter and three in the first half to keep the Lady Cubs out front. Walker picked things up in the second half, scoring 13 in the second half. She had nine points in a 16-0 run midway through the third quarter that set the stage for a running clock in the fourth quarter.
“Jill really carried us there in the first half offensively,” Kiker said. In the second half , they played “exceptionally better.”
Alexandria 55, Lincoln 31
LINCOLN – Keivondria Blackman 0 0-1 0, Jaylyn Hurley 2 0-0 4, Amarli Woods 0 0-0 0, Jaycee Woods 5 3-4 13, Zoe Korreckt 1 0-0 2, Trinity Shannon 1 0-0 2, Erin Barker 0 0-0 0, Aaliyah Rivers 1 0-4 2, Clarke Cunningham 2 0-0 4, Addison Manns 0 0-0 0, Aubrey Machen 2 0-0 4, J’nayshia Zackery 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 3-9 31.
ALEXANDRIA – Ashley Phillips 2 5-8 9, Jordyn Walker 7 4-4 19, Kirsten Heathcock 1 2-4 4, Jill Cockrell 5 3-5 18, Erin Spradley 0 0-0 0, Summer Pressley 0 0-0 0, Davis 0 1-2 1, Kailey Dickerson 2 0-1 4, Sumira Duncan 0 0-4 0, Makayla Brewster 0 0-0 0, Pressley Slaton 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Hartsfield 0 0-2 0, Chloe Gattis 0 0-2 0. Totals 17 15-37 55.
Lincoln 6 6 4 15 – 31
Alexandria 16 9 20 10 – 55
3-point goals: Alexandria 6 (Walker, Cockrell 5). Fouled out: Duncan. Total fouls: Lincoln 25, Alexandria 11. Officials: Pratt, Stubbs, Hyde.
Class 1A Area 10
RAGLAND – Kara Grace scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to lead Jacksonville Christian over Faith Christian 57-44 and earn a spot in the area championship game.
Erin Prater hit four 3-pointers in the second half as the Thunder outscored the Lady Lions 17-8 to pull away from its one-point halftime lead. Prater had nine points in the third quarter and Grace had eight.
RAGLAND 58, COOSA CHRISTIAN 14: The top-seeded Lady Purple Devils took control early, tearing out to a 24-4 lead. Cadence Buchanan scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter and had 16 in the first half.
Campbell Adams scored 11 of her 12 points in the first half and Sammie Day-Jones scored nine of her points in the first two quarters.
Jacksonville Christian 57, Faith Christian 44
FAITH CHRISTIAN – Ally Folsom 6-14 8-18 20, Anna Strautman 4-15 0-1 8, Ari Arevalo 3-9 1-2 7, Meagan Ford 2-9 0-0 4, Joelle Tillery 1-9 0-0 3, Anna Robertson 1-3 0-0 2, Jona Harrison 0-0 0-0 0, Serenity Page 0-0 0-0 0, Gabrielle Price 0-0 0-0 0, Cheyenne Rice 0-0 0-0 0 Total 17-59 9-21 44.
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN – Rebekah Carter 2-9 7-11 11, Erin Prater 4-13 3-3 15, Kara Grace 5-18 10-12 20, Addi Lee 2-12 0-0 5, Kirsten Walker 0-10 0-3 0, Ella Kines 0-3 0-0, Riley Sanders 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Clayton 3-15 0-0 6. Totals 16-81 20-29 57.
Faith 9 11 8 16 – 44
JCA 9 12 17 19 – 57
3-point goals: Faith 1 (Tillery); JCA 5 (Prater 4, Lee). Rebounds: Faith 45 (Arevalo 13, Folsom 10, Ford 9); JCA 45 (Grace 20, Carter 8, Prater 7). JCA 26. Fouled out: Arevalo. Total fouls: Faith 14, JCA 19. Officials: Whiteside, Askew, Macon.
Ragland 58, Coosa Christian 14
COOSA CHRISTIAN – Bella Cate O’Bryant 1 0-0 2, Caitlin Cates 0 0-0 0, Erin Snow 1 0-0 2, Ra’nyiah Dupree 1 0-0 3, Ally Pruitt 0 0-0 0, Katherine England 0 0-0 0, Evelyn Nowak 0 0-2 0, Kailah East 1 0-0 2, A.J. Holman 1 0-0 3, Natalie Delp 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 0-2 14.
RAGLAND – Sammie Day-Jones 2 5-9 9, Rylee Mickler 3 0-0 6, Cadence Buchanan 9 4-7 22, Campbell Adams 4 2-7 12, Aubrey Ball 2 1-2 5, Hannah Rgsdale 1 0-0 2, Jaymie Rains 0 2-2 2, Beverly Alexander 0 0-0 0, Anna Burnham 0 0-0 0, Nya Brewster 0 0-0 0.
Totals 21 14-27 58.
Coosa 4 3 2 5 – 14
Ragland 24 19 8 7 – 58
3-point goals: Coosa 2 (Dupree, Holman); Ragland 2 (Adams 2). Fouled out: Dupree. Total fouls: Coosa 25, Ragland 10. Officials: Smith, Curtis, Rary.
Class 4A Area 10
CENTRE – Jacksonville fell behind in the first half and couldn’t catch up although the Lady Golden Eagles made a game effort in the third quarter before eventually falling to Etowah 44-39. Ashley Grant led Jacksonville in scoring with 21 points.
Etowah 44, Jacksonville 39
JACKSONVILLE – Ashley Grant 7-15 4-5 21, DeAsia Prothro 4-7 1-4 9, Halaina Lozano 2-3 0-0 4, Mya Swain 1-5 0-0 3, Amarie Curry 1-10 0-2 2, Alexis Phillips 0-4 0-0 0, MiArah Hardy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-44 5-11 39.
ETOWAH – Jaleigh Devine 4-12 5-6 13, Laura Wood 5-7 0-0 12, Abbi Martin 2-5 5-8 9, Carlee Barksdale 2-8 2-2 6, Anna Jones 2-4 0-1 4, Nia Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Zoe Huff 0-0 0-0 0, Chloe Kelley 0-0 0-0 0, Kylee Roden 0-0 0-0 0, Vanessa Roden 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-36 12-17 44.
Jacksonville 5 6 17 11 – 39
Etowah 14 12 7 11 – 44
3-point goals: Jacksonville 4-14 (Grant 3-5, Swain 1-3, Curry 0-3, Phillips 0-3); Etowah 2-10 (Devine 0-4, Wood 2-3, Barksdale 0-3). Rebounds: Jacksonville 27 (Prothro 6, Swain 6); Etowah 33 (Wood 7, Devine 6). Total fouls: Jacksonville 14, Etowah 12.
Class 3A Area 9
Saks 42, Wellborn 27
WELLBORN – Anna Odom 1 1-2 3, Mikayla Williams 1 4-6 6, Taniya Traylor 0 0-0 0, Bentley Rae Bean 1 2-4 4, Destiny Benefield 0 0-0 0, Calla Hayes 6 0-0 12, Gabby Tignor 0 0-0 0, Layla Amberson 0 1-2 1, Hannah Grubbs 0 1-2 1. Totals 9 9-16 27.
SAKS – Alayzia Neal 0 4-12 4, Keilynn Williams 5 0-0 11, Sania Angel 3 1-5 7, Kendale Welch 1 0-0 3, Kayleigh Thomas 3 3-8 9, Alanna Crews 2 3-6 7. Totals 14 11-39 42.
Wellborn 5 6 6 10 – 27
Saks 9 5 17 11 – 42
3-point goals: Saks 3 (Williams, Welch, Crews). Fouled out: Traylor, Bean. Total fouls: Wellborn 21, Saks 15. Officials: Paige, Hardnett, Jackson.
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