Pickens Plays Up and Down in Tipoff Tournament Opener

The Pickens Dragons and Dragonettes played on different ends of the spectrum on the first day of the ETC Tipoff Tournament on Saturday, as the Nettes opened the tournament with a hard-fought eight point win over the Fannin Lady Rebels and the Dragons started the series of games with a disappointing eighteen point loss to the Fannin Rebels.
The Dragonettes played in the opening game of the tournament and started off strong, jumping out to a 27-10 lead at the half after leading by just a point after one quarter of play.

Although the Lady Rebels showed some signs of life in the second half, outscoring the Dragonettes 29-20, the outstanding output in the first half put Pickens in a lead that it would not relinquish. In the end the Dragonettes won the game 47-39, giving the girls a 1-0 record to start the tournament.
Danielle Goss led the Dragonettes in scoring with twelve points in the victory. Sarah Smith led the squad in rebounds with six in the game. Kadie Mullinax showed off her three-point shooting capability in this one, scoring all six of her points via shots behind the arc.

Next up in the tournament was the matchup between the Dragons and the Rebels. The Dragons were given the tough task of replacing all of their starters from last season, and it looks like it is definitely a work-in-progress.

The Dragons did their best to stay with the Rebels’ pace, but a first quarter that saw Fannin jump out to a 23-9 advantage left Pickens playing catch up for the remainder of the game. While the team showed plenty of promise, the ending result was a tough 54-36 loss.

Jacob Stephens led the Dragons with ten points in the defeat. Chris Leicht finished the contest with a team-high five rebounds.

The Dragonettes and Dragons play again on Monday in Day Two of the ETC Tipoff Tournament. The girls will face off with the Copper Basin at 3:00 p.m. followed by the boys’ game after its conclusion.