Dragons Split Games with Rival Gilmer

The Pickens Dragonettes and Dragons traveled to Gilmer on Tuesday to take on the Lady Bobcats and Bobcats in a pair of games that added yet another page to the two schools’ legendary rivalry.
The first game of the evening featuring the Dragonettes and the Lady Cats was a back-and-forth affair through four quarters, with the lead changing in each quarter.

Down 30-28 with under a minute left in the game, the Dragonettes were able to tie the game up thanks to a two-pointer from Danielle Goss. A four minute overtime session soon followed, with the scoring being just as evenly matched as in the preceding four quarters.

Sarah Smith helped Pickens send the game into a second overtime thanks to two key foul shots, which tied the game at 43. The Lady Cats had just enough to outscore the Dragonettes in the second overtime, and a desperation three point shot by the Dragonettes that was off the mark signaled the end of the game with Gilmer coming out on top 46-43.

Danielle Goss led the Dragonettes in scoring with fifteen points in the loss. Sarah Smith was a dominating force down low in this one, leading the team in rebounding with eighteen rebounds.

Up next on the schedule was the boy’s game, which featured two high-flying teams that would have liked nothing better than beating their biggest rival in their final matchup this season.

The Dragons got off to a quick start in this game, outscoring the Bobcats 19-9 in the first quarter. Gilmer gained the momentum in the second quarter, which led to Pickens holding a slim 30-28 at the half.

The third quarter proved to be the pivotal period in this one, as Pickens played very effectively on the offensive side of the ball, which resulted in the team holding a comfortable twelve point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Bobcats fought hard to close the gap, but time was not on their side in this game, as the Dragons went on to win the game 60-45.

Sam Crawford led the Dragons in scoring and rebounding with twenty-two points and nine rebounds in the win. Close behind for the lead in both of these categories was Wesley Easterwood, who finished the game with twenty-one points and five rebounds. The Dragons’ defense played outstanding as a unit in the win, but arguably no one played better than Austin Murphy, who had two steals and three impressive blocks.

Pickens’ next set of games comes on February 3rd, when the Allatoona Buccaneers travel to Jasper. The girl’s game is scheduled to start at 7:00 with the boy’s game following at 8:30.