Holiday hot shots
- Updated: December 22, 2021
Wilson, Farmer shoot lights out to lead their respective Piedmont teams to victories in Gaston Christmas Classic; Saks falls in Pat Ball finals
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Gaston Christmas Classic
Boys Bracket
Game 9: Piedmont 82, Gaston 34
Game 11: Boaz vs. Ashville
Game 10: Moody vs. Southeastern
Game 12: Championship game: Springville vs. Pell City
Girls Bracket
Game 9: Southeastern vs. West End
Game 11: Piedmont 60, Ashville 42
Game 10: Westbrook 79, Gaston 25
Game 12: Championship game: Ranburne 58, Talladega Co. Central 40
Pat Ball Memorial Classic, Hokes Bluff
Boys Games
Game 7: Westbrook 64, Hokes Bluff 40
Championship game: Oneonta 48, Saks 38
Pigeon Forge (Tenn.) Christmas Tournament
Girls Game
Morristown East (Tenn.) 60, Pleasant Valley 49
Wills Valley Shootout
Boys Games
Athens 52, Fort Payne 51
Girls Games
Coffee County (Tenn.) 71, Boaz 23
Pell City vs. Albertville
Anniston 48, Fort Payne 46
By East Alabama Sports Today
GASTON – Cole Wilson already was a big part of Piedmont coach JoJo Odam’s playing rotation as a freshman, but with Cassius Fairs on the mend the guard has had to step into an even bigger role in the starting lineup.
If he keeps doing what he did Wednesday it might hard to keep him out of there, too.
Wilson hit seven 3-pointers – mostly from the right corner – and scored a career high 33 points as the Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak with an 82-34 victory over the host team in the Gaston Christmas Classic.
The left-hander had hit 13 3-pointers coming into the game and was shooting a team-best .382 from behind the arc. He slipped into the’ starting lineup after Fairs turned an ankle against Glencoe in the fifth game of the season and could stay there perhaps through the end of the calendar year as Fairs recovers.
“I was just playing,” Wilson said. “They really just kept me open and I kept shooting.
“I knew I had it in me; it had to come out at some point. I’ve had a few good games like that in junior high and PARD, but that’s probably my best one. At the beginning of the season I thought I’d come in and do what I needed to do. Now, I’m just thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given.”
Wilson’s first five buckets of the game were all 3-pointers and he had 24 points in the first half. The Bulldogs hit 12 3-pointers as a team in the game.
“He just was hot,” Odam said. “They were in a zone and he got hot. We did a good job finding him, they kept getting him the ball and he kept shooting. We knew he could shoot the ball. I knew he was having a good game, but not that good of one. Not in the last 15 years we haven’t had (a freshman) one with that kind of game … It’d be hard to keep him off the floor he shoots like that.”
Ish Bethel, another freshman, was the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer with 11 points. Alex Odam, who usually has the kind of games Wilson enjoyed, had seven points.
Piedmont 82, Gaston 34
PIEDMONT (6-3) – Alex Odam 3 0-0 7, Omarion Foster 3 2-2 8, Gavin Lawler 2 3-3 8, Cole Wilson 13 0-0 33, Ridge Fagan 2 0-0 6, Ish Bethel 4 2-2 11, Jake Rhinehard 0 0-0 0, Chance Murphy 0 3-5 3, Coleman Reid 3 0-0 6, Rhett Alford 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 10-12 82.
GASTON – Kendrick Blackwell 1 0-0 3, Justin Pope 0 1-3 1, Adonis Jones 3 3-6 10, Will Bagley 3 0-0 7, Brock Bagley 2 1-2 5, Kobe Harris 0 0-0 0, Layden Slaton 0 0-0 0, Jakodie Bogle 3 2-2 8. Totals 12 7-13 34.
Piedmont 24 24 22 12 – 82
Gaston 13 9 4 8 – 34
3-point goals: Piedmont 12 (Odam, Lawler, Wilson 7, Fagan 2, Bethel); Gaston 3 (Blackwell, Jones, W. Bagley). Total fouls: Piedmont 12, Gaston 13. Officials: Douthitt, Hall, Askew.
Farmer steps up for Lady Bulldogs
Piedmont girls coach Terrace Ridley told her players there would probably be opportunities for someone to break through in Wednesday’s consolation game. Emily Farmer took it to heart.
Farmer made six 3-pointers and scored a career high 26 points in the Lady Bulldogs’ 60-42 victory over Ashville.
“Emily really is a great shooter and today I told her the pressure would be on Lele (Ridley) and Ava (Pope), so I told her set her feet and knock them down and she did,” Ridley said. “When she’s left out on a limb alone she can be dangerous.’
Farmer, a senior post who had 12 3-pointers entering the game shooting .267 from behind the arc, had 10 total field goals in the game. She scored 12 points in the first half and had four of her 3-pointers in the second, three in the fourth quarter.
Ridley had 14 points and Pope had 13.
“The shots just fell for me and as a team we did a great job rotating the ball on offense,” Farmer said. “Coach told us that when you find the hot hand, keep feeding and that’s what happened.
“The feeling was definitely remarkable and something I’ve never felt before. My teammates were working the ball and we just played really well together today, especially being patient on offense, which allowed those open 3’s to happen.”
Ridley’s 14 points left her 13 shy of 1,000 for her career. She’s expected to reach the milestone in the Lady Bulldogs’ post-Christmas appearance in the Hillman-Patterson Haralson County (Ga.) Invitational next week.
Piedmont 60, Ashville 42
PIEDMONT (7-3) – Ava Pope 6 0-0 13, Jasie Young 0 0-0 0, Rylie Anne Holbrooks 0 0-0 0, Jaycee Glover 1 0-0 3, Lele Ridley 7 0-2 14, Carson Young 1 0-0 2, Gracie Naugher 0 0-0 0, Z’Hayla Walker 1 0-0 2, Hannah Kate Barber 0 0-0 0, Emily Farmer 10 0-0 26. Totals 26 0-2 60.
ASHVILLE – Savannah Pinkard 0 0-0 0, Lesleigh Rogers 3 0-0 7, Molly Northam 3 3-4 11, Alexis Smith 0 0- 0, Rachel St. John 5 1-1 13, Sera Potter 4 1-2 9, Mollie Phillips 0 0-0 0, Kaitlin Hudson 1 0-2 0. Totals 16 5-9 42.
Piedmont 23 13 13 11 – 60
Ashville 11 8 17 6 – 42
3-point goals: Piedmont 8 (Pope, Glover, Farmer 6); Ashville 5 (Rogers, Northam 2, St. John 2). Total fouls: Piedmont 6, Ashville 4.
Pat Ball Memorial Classic
HOKES BLUFF – Harrison Miller hit five 3-pointers in the first half to help Oneonta open an eight-point lead and the Indians held on to beat Saks 48-38 to win the Pat Ball Memorial Classic championship. Miller finished with 16 points.
Conor Martin hit four 3-pointers throughout the game and led Saks with 16 points.
Oneonta 48, Saks 38
ONEONTA – Colin Swindle 4 0-1 8, Wil Robertson 1 0-0 3, Harrison Miller 5 1-2 16, Sam Patrick 0 2-2 2, Davin Young 0 3-6 3, Emery Moore 1 0-0 3, Nick McCary 4 1-6 9, Braden Moore 0 4-4 4. Totals 15 11-21 48.
SAKS – Conor Martin 5 2-2 16, Braelan Robinson 3 1-2 7, Shon Elston 0 0-0 0, Sean Parnell 1 2-2 4, Jalen McCants 0 1-2 1, Malik Carlisle 1 2-4 4, Rickey Garrett 0 0-0 0, Anthony Bothwell 0 2-4 2, Gavin Doss 1 1-2 4. Totals 11 11-18 38.
Oneonta 13 13 11 11 – 48
Saks 12 6 12 8 – 38
3-point goals: Oneonta 7 (Robertson, Miller 5, E. Moore); Saks 5 (Martin 4, Doss). Fouled out: Young, Parnell. Total fouls: Oneonta 15, Saks 22.
Pigeon Forge Christmas Tournament
Morristown East (Tenn.) 60, Pleasant Valley 49: The Lady Raiders led at halftime, but East hit seven of its 11 3-pointers in the second half to erase a 27-25 halftime deficit. PV went 0-2 in the event, losing to host Pigeon Forge in Monday’s opener 52-40, and had the halftime lead in both games.
This story will be updated.
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