The Piedmont women’s basketball squad took home their first-ever CCS conference title with a 64-51 win over the 3-seed Belhaven University Blazers on March 1.
“We’ve been working hard for this all four years, and it means a lot, especially to win this at home,” said senior point guard Nae-Nae Eades, who scored a career-high 20 points in the game and was named CCS Tournament MVP.
The Lions were the regular season CCS champions before the tournament, finishing 12-2 in conference games. The win also caps off a perfect home season, where the team went 11-0. Winning the regular season guaranteed them home-court advantage and the title of tournament host.
Belhaven jumped out to a 19-17 lead in the first quarter on 67% shooting and led by as much as five, taking a 27-22 lead with 6:20 remaining in the half. Coming in off the bench, junior forward Ava Hunter sparked a Lady Lions comeback, blocking a Blazer shot and later sinking a layup of her own on a sneaky assist from Eades to cut the deficit to three. On Piedmont’s next possession, Hunter came up with an offensive rebound and was fouled, sinking her two free throws to make it 27-26. Hunter blocked another Belhaven shot, passed it to Eades, and hustled down the court where Eades dished the ball back to her and sank a 10-foot jumper to give Piedmont the 28-27 lead. The Lions never looked back, taking a 33-27 lead into halftime.
The second half belonged to the seniors, as Eades, forward Andelin Hill and guard Ashley Scott took control of the game, scoring 23 of the Lions’ 31 points in the second half. All three players earned All-Tournament Team honors.
Eighteen of Eades’ 20 points came from the free-throw line, shooting 18-of-22 from the stripe. Eades’ leadership and ball handling skills were exhibited in key moments during the championship, and she was named the CCS Tournament MVP.
“The last time we played them, they fouled me a lot,” said Eades, who also had four assists to complement her 20 points. “I knew I had to keep driving the ball to the hoop to either score or get fouled.”
Scott was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and finished the game with 13 points. “It’s been a long time coming for me,” said Scott, who came back as a graduate student to help the team win conference. “We’re not done yet.”
Hill, who had already been named CCS Player of the Year after averaging a double-double during the regular season, leading the CCS in rebounds (10.7 per game) and finishing third in scoring (14.2 per game), pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds in the championship game.
“It means the world to be a conference championship team. This is seriously the best day ever,” said Hill. “We have worked so hard and put so much time into the game. It’s amazing to see it all pay off on our home court with our fans behind us.”
Hill is 2-for-2 with the goals she set coming into the season. “I think it’s important to set individual and team goals,” said Hill. “As a team, we wanted to strive to win the CCS and go on to play in the NCAA Tournament. A goal I set for myself when I transferred to Piedmont was to win Player of the Year.”
The championship is the first for the Lions since 2019, when they won the USA South title. Head coach Jamie Purdy continued her legacy in her 20th season at Piedmont, crafting one of the best teams in Lions’ history. This is Purdy’s seventh conference championship — across three different leagues — at the helm of the Lady Lions with an overall record of 378-182.
The win punches the Lady Lions’ ticket into the NCAA Division III National Tournament, with a 2024-25 season record of 20-7, 14-2 in conference play. They will learn their fate early next week when seedings are announced.
Watch below to hear the call of the CCS Champion Lady Lions by The Roar’s Eric Edmondson and Grant Prather.
