Dragons and Dragonettes Fight Hard in Holiday Classic’s Second Day

Day two of the Pickens Holiday Classic tournament was full of more intense action for the Dragons and Dragonettes, as the girl’s team took on the Centennial Lady Knights and the boy’s team faced off with the Banneker Trojans.The Dragonettes came out energized thanks to their impressive victory over the Etowah Eagles yesterday and were determined to make it two wins in two days, playing extremely well in the first half and leading the game 35-19 at halftime. The team continued its dominating run in the second half of play, scoring seventeen points in both the third and fourth quarter on its way to a 69-49 victory.

Junior Danielle Goss led the Dragonnettes in scoring with twenty-three points. Goss also led the team in rebounding with thirteen.

Following the girl’s convincing win came the boy’s game, which pitted a hungry Dragons squad against a quality Trojans squad. Pickens looked ready to trample the Trojans in the beginning, outscoring its opponent 32-20 in the first half of play.

It looked like the second half would prove to be just as successful for the Dragons, as the team continued its hot streak and scored eleven points in the third quarter, leaving the team with a comfortable 42-31 lead with only one quarter of play remaining. Unfortunately, things fell apart for the Dragons in the final quarter of play on the night, as Banneker finally got in a rhythm and couldn’t be stopped, leading to a 22-7 run in the fourth quarter.

The Dragons had a chance late to reclaim their lost lead, but contact between ball-handler Spencer Jones and a Trojans defender sent the Dragons’ senior, who lead the team in scoring with twenty points, out of bounds, giving Banneker the ball back. The Trojans went on to the win the game 53-49, leaving the Dragons shaking their heads and wondering what had just happened.

Spencer Jones led Pickens in scoring with twenty points. Senior Sam Crawford had another impressive game for the Dragons, leading the team in rebounds once again with eight.

The last day of games in the Holiday Classic on Thursday offer two very exciting matchups for the Pickens’ faithful, as the Dragonnettes take on the Ringgold Lady Tigers at 6:00 and the Dragons take on the Sequoyah Chiefs at 7:30.