9th Grade Purple Hurricanes Monsoon on Dragons’ Parade

The Pickens High School Dragons 9th basketball team traveled to Cartersville to take on the J.V. squad for the Purple Hurricanes. The home team was less than hospitable as they thoroughly thrashed their guests 56-13 for a “Purple ‘Reign'” on their home court.The Dragons may have wanted to hide “Under the Cherry Moon” as they were beaten on both ends of the court like bad kids at Joe Jackson’s house. While the home team proceeded to nail down the boards like a carpenter before the housing market collapse, the Dragons were only able to grab 10 rebounds all game, four in the first half.

The Purple Hurricanes stormed to an 8-0 lead before the Dragons were able to hit a basket. With a combination of tenacious press defense and rebounding, the Purple Hurricanes were able to procure a plethora of turnovers and second chance shots. This enabled them to build a 12-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter continued much like the first as the Purple Hurricanes lead continued to grow. Pickens had trouble getting the ball up court with the relentless pressure applied via Cartersville’s press. The Dragons were only able to muster four more points in the half and entered half time down 34-6.

The second half featured a slight change in the first few minutes, as Pickens garnered the first three rebounds of the half, and picked up the defensive intensity somewhat. However, the continuous defensive pressure lead to neither team crossing the “Graffiti Bridge” of scoring until five and half minutes were left in the quarter and Cartersville made a free throw.

Approximately a minute later, with 4:28 left in the third and a comfortable 30 point (38-8) lead, the Purple Hurricanes subbed out all the starters. The subs did not alleviate any of the defensive pressure and continued to score and rebound at will. A buzzer beating three pointer at the end of the third gave Cartersville a 50-10 lead.

Because of the insurmountable lead achieved by the home team, the final quarter was only five minutes long. The Dragons scored the first point of the fourth on the free throw line, and the small but ever boisterous group of Pickens fans cheered raucously. The starters were put back on the floor at the beginning of the quarter but were pulled with two minutes left in the game.

After a loss like this, one must ask, “Is this what it sounds like when Dragons cry?”