CENTRE – For the better part of three quarters, the Cherokee County Warriors had things under control against the Piedmont Bulldogs in their first home basketball game of the season in Centre on Saturday.
But Warrior head coach Caleb Hays knew the Alex Odam run was coming.
Odam scored 14 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter, turning a one-time Warrior nine-point advantage into a 65-52 loss. He was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the quarter (15-of-17 in the game). In addition, Odam sank a 3-pointer near the end of the third quarter and another trey to start the fourth as part of an 18-0 Bulldog run.
“We went into a timeout and he (Coach JoJo Odam) kind of got on us a little bit,” Alex Odam said. “He lit a fire under us, and we came out and played harder I think.
“We knew we had to go. It was getting that time. I feel like I had to turn it up a little bit.”
Odam’s father and head coach said sometimes his son is “too unselfish.”
“Sometimes he might should shoot it more, but he does a good job getting those guys the ball,” Coach Odam said. “He loves playing with these guys. They all get along. There’s no jealousy. He does a good job finding them. They’re okay with him shooting it when he does, and he rewards them and gets them in the game.”
Hays said “it seemed like it became the No. 1 show (Alex Odam’s jersey number) for Piedmont.”
“He was finding guys all over the floor, and they made the plays for them,” Hays said. “I’m sure what he told them in that timeout was ‘Alex, you’ve got to get us going.’ He had five at the end (of the third quarter) and kind of cut it. The fourth quarter, he kept that same energy.
“Our guys got in a little foul trouble. I don’t know if in their minds that made them want to come off of him a little bit more and give him some space, but he’s a great player and he created all night.”
As Hays said, the Warriors (4-4) got into foul trouble when Piedmont (3-0) switched to a zone defense.
“We haven’t even practiced it (the zone), but we said ‘Let’s try it’ and it worked,” Coach Odam said. “I don’t know if that helped, but it kind of changed the game I think. It kind of slowed them down, kind of got them out of their offense I think. They’re shooters, so we knew we had to guard them, match up with them once they got it. I think that was kind of the turning point.”
Cherokee County held an 18-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. The game was tied at 32 at the break. The Warriors built a 44-35 advantage with 1:14 left in the third quarter on a rebound and putback by Jaden Wilson.
But then Alex Odam began to take over.
“I thought the third quarter we came out really strong, and up until that last minute, I thought ‘Man, we’ve held them to three points this quarter,’” Hays said. “I knew at some point he was coming. We were trying to keep the energy, trying to make sure the help defense was going to be there for him, but he hit some big shots and made some plays.
“I’m mad at my guys for bad defense, but if you were watching the game, it was probably good offense too. We knew what he was going to bring to the table.”
Omarion Foster added 12 points for the Bulldogs. Cole Wilson had a pair of treys and finished with nine points.
Jack Amos topped the Warriors with 19 points, including three 3-pointers. Jaden Wilson delivered 12 points. CJ Gresham and Landon Caldwell both finished with seven points.
Girls
Cherokee County 75, Piedmont 57
CENTRE – The Cherokee County Lady Warriors aren’t going to wow anyone with size, but they more than make up for it with their quickness.
On Saturday evening, the Lady Warriors’ quickness served them well in a 75-57 victory over visiting Piedmont to improve to 6-3 on the season.
“We’re not a very tall team, but fortunately we are quick,” Cherokee County coach Leah Nelson said. “We try to utilize our quickness on defense, and I felt like that was one of the things that gave us a lot of energy, when we started pressing and trying to get some pressure on the ball. I felt like that turned into some offense and got us going a little bit.
“One of the things we talk about is running the floor. If we can make them run for four quarters, teams may be able to run with us a half or three quarters, but hopefully by that fourth quarter we’re able to push ahead. I was very proud of the way we were able to play tonight.”
The Lady Warriors held an 18-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, but built a 39-28 advantage by halftime.
Late in the second quarter, Cherokee County lost one of its top players in junior forward Ella Garmany. She hit the back of her head on the floor fighting for a loose ball and had to be helped from the court. She did not return.
The Lady Warriors were already short another player when sophomore center Grayson Tucker went down with a knee injury at practice on Thursday, but Cherokee County didn’t let their absences affect them.
With practically no size down low to counter Piedmont’s LeLe Ridley and Z’hayla Walker, the Lady Warriors still extended their lead to 60-46 at the end of three quarters. They outscored Piedmont 15-11 in the fourth quarter for the final.
Audrey Green led four Cherokee County players in double figures with 16 points. Carson Coley collected 15 points. Mary Hayes Johnson tallied 14 points. Audrey Haygood added 13 points, including three 3-pointers.
Emily Allen had nine points and Garmany finished with eight points.
“That’s one thing about this team. I never doubt they’re going to give me 100 percent all the time,” Nelson said. “That’s fun to coach. They go after it.
“Fortunately, we often will run four guards. I didn’t feel like we got out of our offense with having to go to four guards. Still, not having that height, it’s just hard, especially when they have two post players down there, but you’ve got to find other ways to get an advantage. I felt like they did a good job with that.”
Ridley led Piedmont with 18 points. Walker added 13 points. Jaycee Glover came away with 11 points and Ava Pope finished with eight points.
