By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent
A poor shooting night derailed Glencoe’s chances of winning the Class 3A, Area 10 Tournament championship game, as the Yellow Jackets fell to Piedmont, 50-42 on Feb. 10 in Glencoe.
The Yellow Jackets only mustered eight points in the opening quarter and trailed the Bulldogs 17-8. The Glencoe offense picked up slightly in the second quarter, but
Piedmont carried a 31-24 lead into halftime.
Glencoe’s defensive intensity increased in the second half, as the Yellow Jackets held Piedmont to only four points in the third quarter.
Glencoe senior guard Cole Holbrooks scored four of his team-high 12 points in the third frame, and the Bulldog lead was cut to 35-31 entering the fourth quarter.
Glencoe’s offense again went cold, and the Yellow Jackets couldn’t stop Piedmont center Austin Brazier, who scored a game-high 23 points and snagged five rebounds on the way to being named tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
The Yellow Jackets (16-14) travel Weaver in the sub-regionals on Tuesday (Feb. 14), while Piedmont hosts Walter Wellborn.
Glencoe head coach Jason Gilley was disappointed with his team’s shooting performance.
“We just have to make shots,” Gilley said. “We didn’t many any shots. We missed several underneath the basket. Everything [Piedmont] threw up went in. I guess that’s just the way it goes. I’ll be honest, I’m surprised they didn’t beat us worse than what they did with the way we shot the ball. You’ve just got to come out ready to play every ball game.”
Holbrooks finished the game with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Micah Sizemore scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. Justin Barkley chipped in nine points, and Jakeb Amberson scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds. All four players made the All-Tournament Team.
Despite the loss, Gilley was proud of his team’s effort.
“They got after it,” he said. “We did what we needed to. You hold them to that with them making everything they threw up it seemed like, you like your chances. But you’ve got to do it on the other end, too. We’ve just got to keep grinding. At this point of the season, that’s all it is. It’s a grind the rest of the way out.”
Glencoe has already faced Weaver once this season, losing by one point.
“These guys will fight,” said Gilley. “We’ll head over there Tuesday and see what we can do. We played them in the Christmas tournament in Alexandria, so we’ve seen them and know what to expect. We know what we’ve got to do better.”