Piedmont comes up short in playoff game
The Piedmont Highlanders boys basketball team fell to the Albany Cougars, 49-58 in the North Coast Section Division 2 playoffs at Binks Gymnasium on February 21.
Piedmont finished the season 19-9. Albany is now 22-8 Cougars and will face top-seeded University-San Francisco on February 25. Had the Highlanders won the game, they would have earned a berth in the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs.
“We had to win tonight to get a chance (for CIF), and so our season’s done,” Piedmont coach Ben Spencer said. “It’s the earliest we’ve exited from postseason in the last seven years, so that feels weird. It’s our first loss at home in NCS, and it’s our first loss to a public school in NCS since we took over seven years ago.”
Albany won the tip to start the first quarter, and the game began slowly. Within the first four minutes, Piedmont began to slip behind 8-4, and ended the quarter down 12-9. The officials were stern in calling traveling.
“There were things that we normally don’t do that we did,” Spencer said. “Turnovers, bad shots, not rebounding, not playing good defense.”
Dillon Casey launches a 3-point shot in front of the Highlanders bench. 
Lucian Fang Ring (11) is guarded by Albany’s Deron Lyons (2).
Piedmont started the second quarter with an electric 3-pointer from Lucian Fang-Ring, tying the score 12-12. P.J. Brayer kept the defense strong, keying multiple stops. Dillon Casey scored an and-one, giving Piedmont a 14-12 lead. However, Casey missed the free throw, something the Highlanders struggled with later in the game.
This was Piedmont’s only lead of the night. Deron Lyons hit a big 3-pointer to help Albany on a 9-2 run to end the half with a 21-16 lead.
“We studied our opponent. We went through film. We practiced really hard to get to where we’re at right now,” Lyons said.
The Highlanders started the third quarter strong. However, the Cougars killed Piedmont on the boards, 47-25. A 13-2 run that stretched into the fourth quarter helped the Cougars build a double-digit lead.
“We’re a good rebounding team,” Lyons said. “Offense and defense. Boxing out, physical and we practice it every day. Our coach gets on us every day for not boxing out and being physical with each other. That helps us in games. A lot of teams are not ready when we are boxing out and that’s how we get our rebounds.”
Said Spencer, “We had good looks, but we didn’t shoot the ball well (four of 25 from 3-point range),” Spencer said. “In the third quarter, we went 0-6 on free throws, and sometimes that’s just how the night goes.”
Piedmont came into the fourth quarter with intensity in a final attempt to come back for a chance to win. Brayer broke the Albany run with a pair of 3-pointers, Beach Lorin scored three layups, and Casey scored a total of 12 points in the quarter. However, Lyons countered them with 14 of his game-high 27 points for the Cougars. The fourth quarter was the highest scoring, the Highlanders outscoring the Cougars, 26-24.
Cash Panico (23) watches teammate P.J. Brayer (24) with the ball as Albany’s Adonias Solomon (15) defends. 
Piedmont’s Beach Lorin (white 4) guards Albany’s Kaelin Morris (black 4) during an NCS playoff game at Binks Gymnasium. 
P.J. Brayer (24) drives past Albany’s Jasper Graf late in the Highlanders 59-48 playoff loss. Brayer scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds despite being in foul trouble much of the game.
“We had a lot of energy coming out in the second half with that lead,” Lyons said. “That helped us continue and finish our game.”
Casey had 17 points to lead Piedmont. It was a rough game for the Highlanders, who made 38 percent of their shot attempts, seven of 16 free throws, and had 13 turnovers.
“They were very solid on defense,” Brayer said. “We missed shots we should have made, missed layups, free throws, and open threes. They just simply out worked us, and it had an impact on our offensive rhythm.”