Staff Reports
CENTRE – The Piedmont Bulldogs connected on 6-of-9 free throws in the fourth quarter, helping turn a close game down the stretch into a 56-44 boys basketball victory at Cherokee County on Tuesday night.
Alex Odam, who a night earlier set a new Piedmont career scoring record, rang for a game-high 24 points. He connected on 4-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter and also finished with seven assists and four steals for the Class 3A, No. 7 Bulldogs (14-6).
Odam’s final points came on a layup as time expired, which led to tempers flaring and a postgame skirmish between the two rival teams.
Luke Bussey added 12 points for the Bulldogs. He also had five steals, three rebounds and two assists. Jaden Calhoun contributed eight points. Jakari Foster finished with five points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Connor Elrod connected on a pair of treys and led the Warriors (9-14) with 18 points. He was also 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. Slade Alexander added 14 points, including a 5-of-7 performance from the charity stripe.
The Warriors led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter, but Piedmont surged out to a 28-20 edge at halftime. The Bulldogs held a 40-33 lead at the end of three quarters.
Girls
Cherokee County 79, Piedmont 59
CENTRE – The 3-pointers were flying from both the Cherokee County Lady Warriors and Piedmont Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday evening. Both teams combined for a state record 30 treys, including 16 by Cherokee County, in the Lady Warriors’ 79-59 victory.
According to the AHSAA record book, the previous record for combined 3s in a girls game was 27 set by Cold Springs and Cleveland in a 2019 area tournament game.
Audrey Green led the Class 4A, No. 10 Lady Warriors (19-5) with 18 points, including four treys. Karlee Perry sank five treys and finished with 15 points.
Mary Hayes Johnson added three 3-pointers and scored 13 points. Lanie Williams and Carson Coley both connected on a pair of treys and had seven and six points respectively. Emily Allen contributed six points.
LeLe Ridley led Piedmont (10-12) with 19 points, including four treys. Emily Farmer tallied six 3-pointers (four in the third quarter) and finished with 18 points. Ava Pope posted 14 points, including four treys.
Cherokee County took an 18-12 advantage in the first quarter, then went on a 25-10 run in the second to take a 43-22 edge at the half. The Lady Warriors led 66-41 at the end of three quarters.