Dragons Acquire Dreaded “0-For” Against Cherokee

The Pickens Dragons had three matchups in Canton against the Cherokee Warriors on Tuesday, with each game matching the definition of a “thriller”. The first game of the night featured the junior varsity Dragonettes and the Lady Warriors, two young teams ready to prove themselves at the high school level. Scoring was nearly even throughout the game, but the Lady Warriors did just enough to edge the Nettes, winning by a score of 38-37. Sophomore Olivia LeMieux led Pickens with sixteen points.

Following the girl’s junior varsity game was the girl’s varsity game, which featured plenty of points on both sides. Pickens played hard against the Lady Warriors in this one, but the home team’s offense was just too potent for the likes of the Dragonettes, leading to a 58-26 loss. Sophomore Sarah Smith led the Nettes in scoring and rebounds with 12 and 6, respectively.

While the first two games of the evening were very exciting, the clear game of the night pitted Pickens and Cherokee’s varisty boy’s teams against each other. The mood was set early on in this one, as intense fighting for possession of the ball led to technical fouls being handed out to both sides. The Dragons were determined to prove themselves against the strong Warriors squad, but were down 22-30 at halftime. Driven to close the gap, Pickens got the scoring going in the second half, resulting in a down-to-the-wire finish. However, Cherokee put up just enough points when it mattered most, preserving a 61-58 victory. Senior Sam Crawford led the Dragons with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Although these losses were very disappointing, Pickens will have to take the days following the games to improve and ready themselves for the ETC Tournament in Fannin County, which starts on Saturday and proceeds on the following Monday and Tuesday. With such a quick turnaround, it’s important that the Dragonettes, who are slated to play at 3, and the Dragons, who follow soon thereafter, put it together and show everyone that they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.