Tournament turnarounds
- Updated: December 20, 2022
Tuesday girls report: Piedmont flips switch in fourth and pulls away to win Gaston tourney opener; J’ville uses big second half to beat Cleburne County, and more
TUESDAY GIRLS GAMES
Beulah 37, Randolph County 27
Jacksonville 53, Cleburne County 33
White Plains 56, Faith Christian 26
Cherokee County Invitational
Sand Rock 74, Talladega Co. Central 16
Handley 59, Gaylesville 24
Cherokee County 73, Cedar Bluff 22
Spring Garden 67, Bremen 20
Gaston Christmas Tournament
Piedmont 45, Ranburne 37
Saks vs. Southeastern
By East Alabama Sports Today
GASTON – Piedmont flipped a switch in the fourth quarter and looked like a completely different team than it did in the first three Tuesday and the turnaround led to a 45-37 victory over Ranburne in the opening round of the Gaston Christmas Tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs erupted for 26 points in the fourth quarter after scoring only 19 in the first three to erase a 27-19 deficit.
“They don’t lay down and fold,” Piedmont coach Terrace Ridley said of her team.
The key to the comeback was a defensive approach designed to limit the touches Ranburne 2,000-point scorer Briley Merrill got in the quarter. Merrill scored 17 points in the game, but was held to only a 3-pointer and two free throws in the fourth.
“We started back pressing and went aggressively after the ball,” Ridley said. “We did what it took to not let Merrill get the ball back after she passed it. We also started finishing shots all around and at the free throw line … I love having a coachable team.”
Lele Ridley scored 11 of her game-high 19 points in Piedmont’s fourth quarter. Gracie Naugher chipped in a pair of 3s. Ridley also grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Lady Bulldogs play St. Clair County in the winner’s bracket Wednesday at 3 p.m.
PIEDMONT 45, RANBURNE 37
PIEDMONT – Armoni Perry 0 0-0 0, Ava Pope 1 5-7 7, Josie Young 0 0-0 0, Jaycee Glover 1 0-0 2, Lele Ridley 6 7-9 19, Cayla Brothers 3 3-6 9, Melanie Studdard 0 0-0 0, Carson Young 1 0-0 2, Gracie Naugher 2 0-0 6. Totals 14 15-22 45.
RANBURNE – Autumn Lovvorn 0 0-0 0, Autumn Phillips 0 0-0 0, Briley Merrill 5 5-6 17, Aubree Anglin 2 0-0 6, Maria Ralston 0 0-0 0, Brylee Bailey 3 1-2 8, Jadie Phillips 3 0-3 6. Totals 13 6-11 37.
Piedmont 8 7 4 26 – 45
Ranburne 4 8 15 10 – 37
3-point goals: Piedmont 2 (Naugher 2); Ranburne 5 (Merrill 2, Anglin 2, Bailey). Rebounds: Piedmont 29 (Ridley 11). Total fouls: Piedmont 13, Ranburne 14. Officials: Smith, Telelya, Wottke.
Cherokee Co. Invitational
SPRING GARDEN 67, BREMEN (GA.) 20: The Lady Panthers placed four scorers in double figures to win the Cherokee County Invitational with another dominant performance. Chloe Rule led the way with 18 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the floor. Kayley Kirk and Libby Brown both scored 13 and Maggie Jarrett had 12. With her teammates providing the scoring muscle, Ace Austin contributed 10 rebounds, nine rebounds and seven steals.
Regular Season
JACKSONVILLE 53, CLEBURNE COUNTY 33: Corey Mize once designed a defense as an assistant coach that confounded an eventual state champion. He pulled it out for the second half of this one and it lifted the team he currently has as the head coach to an important area victory.
The Lady Golden Eagles rallied from an nine-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Lady Tigers 34-5 in the second half with a hybrid zone that limited them to fewer than a dozen shots. They outscored their visitors 20-3 in the third quarter, 14-2 in the fourth.
“I think the defense gave them a lot of problems,” Mize said. “It’s like a zone-press hybrid. I came up with it for Talladega (as the Jacksonville boys assistant) a few years back. Every time we ran it, it gave teams fits because it’s so different. I save it in my back pocket for sticky situations.”
It couldn’t have been more stickier for the Lady Golden Eagles than Tuesday. They trailed 29-18 at halftime and Mize needed something to help change their luck.
The new defense he installed created several turnovers, which the offense converted into points. Ontarriah Braxton banked in a 3-pointer on the first possession of the half, then she swished another the next time down the floor and the Lady Golden Eagles were off and running. Braxton finished with 15 points.
“At halftime we talked about how we need to get the ball down the court faster and the girls went out and executed,” Mize said. “(Braxton) went crazy in the third quarter and set the tone for us coming back.”
Ashley Grant was just as instrumental. She led all scorers with 23 points, hitting seven 3-pointers, and had six assists and four steals. Dee Prothro had eight points and eight steals.
Interestingly, Jacksonville was 11-of-28 from 3-point range but did not attempt a free throw in the game.
“I was very proud of the way we handled the adversity at halftime and came out and made a statement,” Mize said. “This was a big win for us to go 3-1 in the area. We control our own destiny now.”
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Hannah Turley 4-5 0-0 11, Navaeh Williams 2-4 6-8 10, Faith Brown 3-6 2-2 10, Lilian Whatley 1-1 0-0 2, Makinzie Frames 0-2 0-0 0, Kiera Henderson 0-0 0-0 0, Cori Austin 0-1 0-0 0, Alivia Boyd 0-1 0-0 0, Baylie Jones 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-20 8-10 33
JACKSONVILLE – Ashley Grant 8-18 0-0 23, Ontarriah Braxton 6-13 0-0 15, Dee Prothro 4-5 0-0 8, Halaina Lozano 1-5 0-0 3, Alexis Phillips 1-5 0-0 2, Mya Swain 1-6 0-0 2. 21-52 0-0 53.
Cleburne County 11 17 3 2 – 33
Jacksonville 10 9 20 14 – 53
3-point goals: Cleburne County 5-8 (Turley 3-4, Brown 2-3, Frames 0-1); Jacksonville 11-28 (Grant 7-14, Braxton 3-4, Lozano 1-5, Phillips 0-2, Swain 0-3). Rebounds: Cleburne County 28 (Williams 7, Brown 6); Jacksonville 22 (Prothro 5). Total fouls: Cleburne County 2, Jacksonville 6.
WHITE PLAINS 56, FAITH CHRISTIAN 26: Cooper Martin, Isabella Higgins and Addison Bradley scored 10 points apiece and the Lady Wildcats steadily pulled away after opening a 13-5 first-quarter lead.
FAITH CHRISTIAN – Abby Folsom 4 2-4 10, Serenity Pate 2 2-3 7, Joelle Tillery 1 2-3 5, Cheyenne Rice 0 1-2 1, Emma Shaw 0 3-6 3. Totals 7 10-18 26.
WHITE PLAINS – Cooper Martin 4 0-0 10, Isabella Higgins 5 0-2 10, Abbie Dickeson 0 0-2 0, Anna Fouche 0 0-0 0, Hallie Williams 4 0-0 9, Addison Bradley 4 2-4 10, Chloee Cromer 0 2-2 2, Braeton Moran 3 1-2 9, Kylee Provencio 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Arnold 3 0-0 6. Totals 23 5-12 56.
Faith Christian 5 5 7 9 – 26
White Plains 13 19 15 9 – 56
3-point goals: Faith 2 (Pate, Tillery); White Plains 5 (Martin 2, Williams, Moran 2). Total fouls: Faith 12, White Plains 16.
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