The Pickens Dragons and Dragonettes traveled to Polk County, Georgia last night to take on the Cedartown Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs. Both contests were highly successful for PHS, as the girls’ dominated through four quarters and the boys’ used a strong second half to pull away with a victory.The opening game between the Dragonettes and the Lady Bulldogs turned ugly fast, as Cedartown’s two points to start the game were followed by a dominating 16-0 run by Pickens, leaving the road warriors with a 16-2 lead going into the second quarter.

Led by a great defensive effort that resulted in a total nineteen steals, the Dragonettes continued to ride on their hot streak in the second period, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 20-14 to go into the locker room with a comfortable 36-16 advantage.

While some may have expected Pickens to ease through the second half, that certainly was not the case in the third quarter, as the Nettes continued to finish their shots on their way to a 51-20 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Now with enough cushion to coast, Pickens played its second string in the final quarter, leading to a 56-33 win for the Dragonettes.

Sarah Smith led the Dragonettes in scoring and rebounding in the victory, putting up fifteen points and recording ten rebounds. Smith also had one steal in the game.

Makayla Angel had pinpoint precision behind the arc against the Lady Bulldogs in this contest, draining four three-pointers to give the senior a total of twelve points. Angel also had one rebound, two assists, and three steals in the victory.

Olivia LeMieux was determined to hinder the Cedartown offense throughout the night, finishing the game with a team-high four steals. LeMieux also had four points, three rebounds, and one assist.

Following the girls’ game came the matchup between the Dragons and the Bulldogs in a contest that would have very slow beginnings for both squads.

The opening quarter saw a defensive struggle take hold, as the Dragons and Bulldogs combined for eight points in the first eight minutes of play, leaving Pickens with a slim 5-3 lead. The Dragons extended their lead thanks to a great second quarter, which saw the Dragons outscore the Bulldogs 20-13, leaving the road team with a 25-18 lead at halftime.

The Dragons refused to slow down once the third quarter rolled around, starting the period with a 9-3 run that led to Pickens outscoring Cedartown 17-7 to hold a 42-23 lead going into the fourth.

Although Cedartown tried to make a comeback in the fourth, Pickens prevented any chances of this happening, putting up five points to hold on for a 47-34 win.

Tyjai Howell did his part to lead Pickens to victory, leading the Dragons in scoring and rebounding with twelve points and thirteen rebounds. Howell also had one steal in the game.

Jacob Stephens was also an integral part of Pickens’ success on this night, scoring nine points in the game. Stephens also had three rebounds and three assists in the game.

Chris Leicht made his presence known to all of the Bulldogs’ defenders, scoring nine points with three rebounds in this contest. Leicht also had a team-high four assists as well as one steal.

Pickens hits the road again on Tuesday, January 22nd, as the boys’ and girls’ teams travel to Cass. The girls’ game is slated to start at 6:00 with the boys’ game following its conclusion.