By Joe Medley, East Alabama Sports Today

JACKSONVILLE — Piedmont’s girls fought off Whitesburg Christian’s rally in their Class 3A Northeast Regional semifinal on Wednesday and ended a 17-year drought.

Cayla Brothers, Amiyah Thomas and Carson Young scored 10 points apiece to lead the way, and the Bulldogs held on to win 49-41 and record their first Northeast Regional victory since 2008.

Piedmont (16-13) will play Sylvania in Tuesday’s 9 a.m. regional final after scoring the Bulldogs’ second regional victory in girls’ basketball. The Bulldogs beat Ohatchee 48-15 in the 2008 regional semifinals.

“It’s exciting. It’s different,” said Brothers, one of Piedmont’s seven seniors. She was 1 when Piedmont’s girls got their last regional win. “We’ve never been here, but I think we’re not done yet.”

The victory comes one year after Piedmont fell to Plainview in Piedmont’s first regional appearance for girls’ basketball in 11 years. Plainview reclassified to Class 4A in the current realignment cycle.

“We’ve been talking about it since I got here two years ago,” second-year Piedmont coach Shane Morrow said. “Last year, we ran into Goliath in Plainview, but it was a good experience for us.

“I think part of us last year was just happy to be here because it had been so long since we got here. This year, our mindset shifted. We wanted to do something a little bit different and win one.”

To end its 17–year drought, Piedmont had to overcome 24 turnovers and 6-foot-1 Whitesburg Christian center Savannah Bookout. The Bulldogs also had to overcome 15-for-29 free-throw shooting.

Bookout scored a game-high 24 points and pulled down a game-high rebounds, but Piedmont forced 22 turnovers to make that a wash. Whitesburg Christian hit 14 of 17 free throws, but one fewer than Piedmont.

“We just grinded it out,” Morrow said. “They had the big girl, which we knew was going to be a huge mismatch. We just tried to pressure the ball and turn the over. …

“We were awful at the free-throw line. We make our free throws, it’s different. It shouldn’t have been that close.”

Piedmont led 21-11 at halftime and swelled the lead to as much as 34-18 when Brothers hit one of two free throws at 2:13 of the third quarter.

Whitesburg Christian (17-8) whittled the lead down to 37-25 by the end of the quarter and closed to within 42-40 when Layne Holbrook made the first of three free throws with 2:51 to play.

Piedmont held Whitesburg Christian to one free throw down the stretch and hit seven of eight free throws in that span.

“Amiyah came through with a couple late, Cayla came through with a couple of late,” Morrow said. “It was just a grind.

“That’s way we’ve been doing it all year, so I’m proud of them.”