Plainview Enters Area Play
By Nick Hall
The Plainview Bears opened area hoops play last week with the boys posting wins over Sylvania and Pisgah, while the girls defeated the Rams, but fell to the defending Alabama State Champ Eagles. Read below to see how the week played out.
Boys
Plainview 80, Sylvania 55
The Bears controlled the game from the outset, taking a 24-15 lead at the end of the first period and a 52-32 lead at the half. Plainview stretched their lead to 76-43 by the end of the third before letting their bench play most of the final period. Cole Millican led Plainview with 24 points, five rebounds, two steals, and four assists. Tristan Willingham followed with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists. Luke Smith netted 16 points, grabbed four rebounds, and one steal, followed by Dylan Haymon with 13 points, three rebounds and one steal. “Our effort was pretty good,” said Bears Head Coach Robi Coker. “We gave up too many offensive rebounds, but our ball pressure was good. We did a good job of attacking the rim and creating easy scoring opportunities.”
Plainview 74, Pisgah 64
Plainview ran into a buzz saw last Thursday at Carey Ellison Gymnasium in Pisgah. The upset-minded Eagles caught the Bears in a shooting drought and took them to the fourth quarter in a game that stayed extremely close until the final minutes and saw multiple lead changes. The Eagles led 16-8 at the end of one period and 30-25 at the intermission. Plainview wouldn’t take the lead until early in the third and they would relinquish it more than once before the final buzzer. Pisgah led 58-57 at the end of the third frame, but Plainview was able to hit some shots down the stretch to finally pull away for good. Smith had a big game on both ends of the floor, posting a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bears. Smith also added five steals and one assist. Willingham finished with 20 points. Millican netted 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds, followed by Grant Sanders with nine points and five rebounds and Haymon with eight points and two rebounds. “Pisgah really took it to us for most of the night,” said Coker. “We were fortunate to be able to take control of the game in the fourth quarter. Our offensive rebounding kept us in the game, and we were finally able to make some shots down the stretch. Luke (Smith) was really good and it was a night we needed someone to step up.”
Girls
Plainview 58, Sylvania 55
It took a fourth-period rally and overtime, but the Plainview girls got it done against Sylvania last Tuesday at home. After leading 13-11 after the opening period, Sylvania took a 28-24 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The Rams extended their lead to 40-33 at the end of the third frame. Plainview began to claw their way back in the fourth period, outscoring Sylvania 17-10 to tie the game at 50-all heading into overtime, which Plainview won 8-5. Tobi Trotter set the pace for the Bears with 19 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Elaine Puckett followed with a double-double of her own, netted 11 points and 19 rebounds. Peyton Blevins added 16 points and two rebounds. “It was a very good varsity girls basketball game,” said Plainview Head Coach Luke Griggs. “Both teams played with great intensity and effort. We were lucky enough to hit some shots down the stretch that allowed us to win the game.”
Plainview 41, Pisgah 41
Two-time defending State Champ Pisgah asserted themselves early. The Eagles jumped out to a 29-8 lead at the end of the opening period and led 49-17 at halftime. Plainview outscored the Eagles 24-19 in the second half, but the hole was too deep to escape. Halie Brown was the only Bear in double digits with 10 points. Trotter followed with eight, Avery Price with five and Kelci Guthrie, and Ali Price with four each. “Pisgah jumped on us pretty good in the first quarter,” said Griggs. “We seemed to be a little intimidated at the beginning. I take full responsibility for our slow start. They’ll be better prepared the next time we face them.”