ANNISTON – Denard Spears led Piedmont with a game-high 24 points and he also contributed five steals and four rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Bulldogs fell to Weaver 68-53 in the Class 3A, Area 10 championship game at Saks High School on Monday.

Weaver (21-9) jumped out of the gate quickly from the perimeter. The Bearcats connected on six 3-pointers in the first quarter, giving them a 21-12 advantage after one.

Piedmont (8-20) outscored the Bearcats 18-11 in the second quarter to cut its deficit to 32-30 at halftime. Spears and Darnell Jackson scored nine points apiece for the Bulldogs in the quarter.

Jackson finished with 15 points and five rebounds for Piedmont.

Weaver closed out the game on a 36-23 run in the second half.

Both teams advance to the sub-regional round. The Bulldogs travel on Friday to Area 9 winner Ashville (18-11), a 44-40 winner over Glencoe (19-10) in other area tournament final action on Monday. Weaver will host Glencoe, also on Friday at 7 p.m.