A weight has been lifted off the shoulders of Piedmont players and coach Wil Scofield.
The Wildcats picked up their first win of the season Tuesday night, 71-58 over Guthrie behind 39 combined points from seniors Hunter Oden and Dylan Hahn, after battling a brutal schedule to an 0-6 start.
“It feels good to get in the win column,” Scofield said after the game. “We’ve had a gauntlet of a schedule to start the year and we’ve played well, but just haven’t finished one out. And I’m sure it’s a big burden off their backs as players. Nobody like to lose so it feels good to get it done.”
A hot shooting night from Oden and Hahn plus a solid performance offensively throughout the rotation spurred the victory. The Cats never lost the lead after scoring the first bucket, fueled in the first half by Oden and in the second by Hahn.
Oden scored a game-high 22 points, including 17 in the first half. He was efficient, going 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from three-point range. He also led the team defensively with five steals and a block while pulling down four rebounds.
Hahn recorded a double-double, scoring 17 points, including 12 in the second half, with 10 rebounds. He was able to get to the free-throw line consistently, drilling eight of 10 attempts from the charity stripe and kept Piedmont’s momentum going after the break with 10 points in the third quarter. He also dished out three assists.
“There’s no question those two guys are going to carry the load for us scoring-wise,” Scofield said of the senior duo. “The way they can shoot and handle the ball and how they know the game is a big advantage for us. They’re definitely going to be the guys on that end of the floor.”
Senior Kameron Birmingham handled the offense, leading the team with six assists while scoring six points and grabbing three boards. Piedmont’s bench also got in on the action with three players combining for 19 points.
Sophomore Gabe Rhone-Dunn led all bench scorers with 10 points while junior Doran Hillman scored six and freshman Haydn Rodriguez scored five.
The Cats had to rely on hot shooting as they were out-rebounded 34-25 while allowing 53 shots from the field and 17 free-throw attempts. Scofield, although happy with the win, sees needed improvement on that end of the court.
“We didn’t stay in front of people very well and didn’t block out well,” he said. “We will continue to work on it. I’m big on the defensive end of the floor. You have to hang your hat on that end because when you don’t shoot well, it will be there for you. We have to be better defensively in order to compete with those teams we played in the first six games.”
The win marked Scofield’s first as a high school basketball head coach. He feels like he thinks his players feel after the accomplishment.
“It’s the same as the boys, weight off my shoulders,” he said. “We hope to get a few more moving forward. It felt like the wheels were just spinning the first six games, but finally we finished one out. To get that first one it definitely does feel good, absolutely.”
