The Pickens Dragonettes and Dragons traveled to Dawsonville on Tuesday afternoon to face off with the Lady Tigers and Tigers in the teams’ first game of the 2013-2014 campaign. Both the Dragons and the Dragonettes would go home disappointed on this day, as the Nettes fell to the Lady Tigers 72-68 in a tremendous triple overtime game and the Dragons were tamed by the Tigers in a 60-35 ballgame.It is a common cliché in sports to say that in certain games no one deserves a loss, and this was truly the case in this matchup between the Nettes and the Lady Tigers. Dawson got the jump on Pickens early thanks to a considerable advantage in rebounding, allowing the Lady Tigers to hold a slim 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. Pickens fought hard and kept even with Dawson in the second period (each team posted seven points), leading to a 19-18 score at halftime.

Things looked bleak for Pickens in the third period thanks to a 14-5 run by the Lady Tigers, but the Dragonettes quickly closed the gap via a 13-0 run that was highlighted by an impressive hook shot by Sarah Smith and a three-pointer by Makayla Payne. Haley Kalson soon hit a three of her own to tie the contest at 37-37 with less than a minute remaining in the third. It appeared that the game would remain tied going into the fourth, but the Lady Tigers hit a last-second shot to make it 39-37 Dawson with one quarter left in regulation.

As crazy as the third quarter was between these two teams, the fourth would prove to be even more so thanks to a handful of lead changes within these eight minutes. The Nettes looked poised to grab control of the contest with 1:29 remaining in the fourth thanks to a pass by Taylor Wigington that found Makayla Payne, who subsequently made a layup to give the Dragonettes a 49-47 lead. A layup by Sarah Smith with forty seconds left on the clock was then matched by a shot by the Lady Tigers, leaving the game tied 51-51 with 0:20 showing on the scoreboard.

Pickens had an excellent chance at closing the deal when Haley Kalson was fouled in three-point territory with just ten seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, handing the Nettes a golden opportunity. Kalson stepped up to the line and hit two of her three shots, giving the Dragonettes a comfortable two-point lead with little time remaining. Unfortunately, the Lady Tigers refused to let the clock work against them, which led to a buzzer-beating layup to send this game into an extra session with the two teams deadlocked 53-53.

The first overtime would once again see these two squads battle back and forth throughout, ultimately coming to a culmination in the waning seconds. Now tied 60-60 and another chance to grab the “W”, the Nettes had a pass intercepted and ran back for what looked to be a game-winning layup for Dawson; however, Sarah Smith stepped up and fouled the shooter, preventing the shot but causing Smith to exit the game with five fouls. Now with a little over one second left on the clock, the Lady Tigers had a chance to win the game by making just one of the two free throws that followed the foul, but both shots were missed, leading to a second overtime period.

Now missing one of its best players in its first game of the year, one might think that the Dragonettes would fold up and fall victim to fatigue, but that certainly was far from the case. These two teams once again traded the lead, and things looked to be in Pickens’ favor when Taylor Wigington took a pass from Makayla Payne and promptly hit a three-pointer to put the Nettes up 66-64 with 1:01 left on the clock. Dawson would then hit a shot to tie the game, which would prove to be the last points of the second overtime period. As entertaining and thrilling as the first six periods of play were for both fan bases, those in attendance would soon be treated with a third OT with the teams tied 66-66.

Pickens looked prepared to keep up with Dawson once again in the third overtime and quickly answered a two-pointer by Dawson with a field goal by Paula Pickett with 3:20 left in the session. Unfortunately, this would be the only two points the Dragonettes would manage, as the Lady Tigers would hit two more shots and effectively drain over ninety seconds to prevail 72-68.

Despite missing the last two overtime periods, Sarah Smith led Pickens in scoring with fifteen points and was tied with Makayla Payne in rebounding with six. Also crucial in keeping the Nettes in the game was the play of Haley Kalson (14 points, 5 rebounds, & 2 assists) and Makayla Payne (50% in three-point attempts, 11 points, and 6 rebounds).

Following the Dragonettes’ game came the contest between the Dragons and the Tigers. Pickens would hold their own with Dawson in the first quarter of play but were severely hamped by Dawson’s three-point shooters, who hit five shots from behind the arc to provide the Tigers with all of their fifteen points, giving Dawson a 15-7 lead at the end of the first.

Despite some foul issues and a few questionable calls, the Dragons did what they could to keep up with the Tigers and successfully did so in the second period, posting 11 points just as Dawson did, making it a 26-18 score at the half. The third quarter would ultimately prove to be too much for Pickens, as the Tigers would once again use their three-point marksmen to their advantage, outscoring the Dragons 18-10 to go into the fourth quarter with a 44-28 lead.

Pickens was also unable to slow down Dawson in the fourth quarter, as the road team was outscored 16-7 in what would end up being a 60-35 victory for the Tigers.

Wesley Sparks came off the bench for the Dragons and had a nice game, posting a team-high seven points with four rebounds. Tanner Brumby and Shannon Brooks, known as a dangerous combination on the football field, also provided some big plays on the court for the Dragons, combining for eleven points and seven rebounds in the loss.

Both the Dragons and the Dragonettes hold 0-1 records and will not be back in action until Saturday, November 23rd when the ETC Tipoff Tournament begins. Both of Pickens’ teams will face off with Gilmer, Fannin, and Copper Basin in the three day tournament.