By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
Piedmont (8-8) hosts top-ranked Carl Albert Friday night with a chance to vault up the Class 5A rankings. They’ll take momentum into the game with the Titans after a 43-33 win over Del City Tuesday night. Here’s a look at what’s going right, what’s going wrong and what’s up next for the Lady Wildcats.
What’s going right: Piedmont’s defense has been the most consistent part of its team this season and it continues to produce results. The Lady Wildcats have held seven of their last nine opponents under 50 points and limited Del City to just 33.
“Our defense has been a strength all season,” head coach Eric Carr said.
Piedmont installed a new zone offense for its tournament in Newcastle last weekend and Carr said his team executed the offense well. PHS went 2-1 with wins over Lawton High and Destiny Christian. Edmond Santa Fe tripped up the Lady ‘Cats Friday.
“I thought we had a good weekend. The kids executed really well,” Carr said.
What’s going wrong: Piedmont continues to struggle to make shots consistently. Carr said his team generally gets good looks, but can’t always knock them down and doesn’t have a great option to go to in the post.
“We shoot a lot of threes, but that’s who we are. We don’t have a physical post presence to really throw it into,” Carr said. “We’re going to have to shoot the ball better if we want to turn the corner.”
What’s up next: Piedmont hosts Carl Albert Friday then plays third-ranked El Reno on the road on Tuesday. With wins over both, Piedmont could move into the Top 4 of the rankings on the west side of the state, which would allow Piedmont to host a regional. PHS is currently No. 8.
“I don’t doubt one bit that our kids can (win those games),” Carr said. “I feel like we’re trending in the right direction.”
