Pickens Slips Up against St. Pius

The Pickens Dragonettes and Dragons traveled to St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta on Friday night to take on the Lady Lions and the Golden Lions with disappointing results, as both the Nettes and Dragons fought hard but ultimately left with two losses.
The first game of the evening featured the Dragonettes and the Lady Lions in a matchup that unfortunately was one-sided from the beginning. Powered by the play of point guard Asia Durr, the 5’10” #1 overall recruit in the class of 2015, the Lady Lions leaped out on a 22-2 run to open the game, which eventually led to the Lady Lions leading 26-9 at the quarter’s end.

Pickens stepped up its play in the second quarter, but St. Pius’ ability to rebound almost at will on offense kept the Nettes in check, and at halftime St. Pius held a 36-16 lead. St. Pius continued to play near-perfect basketball in the third quarter, opening the period on a 10-2 run that assured a Lady Lions’ victory. The Dragonettes continued to fight and had their fair share of good plays, but in the end St. Pius would win the game 52-30.

Sarah Smith played excellent against what should prove to be Pickens’ toughest regular season opponent, scoring twenty points. Smith also had six rebounds and two blocks in the loss.

Haley Kalson made several key plays in this matchup, finishing the game with three points. Kalson tied Smith with a team-high six rebounds and also had one assist and one steal.

Following the girls’ game came the meeting between the Dragons and the Golden Lions. The Dragons came out of the gates and immediately played very well, but St. Pius’ three-pointers to end the quarter with a 15-11 lead. The Golden Lions continued to make plays behind the arc in the second quarter, and although the Dragons were able to take advantage of their opponent’s foul problems, they still found themselves down 31-21 at halftime.

Still within striking distance of St. Pius, Pickens would see their chances dwindle down in the third quarter thanks to great plays by many Golden Lions, including Nick Harris, a 6’10” center who is committed to play for the College of Charleston. Harris’ put-back dunk with 2:35 left in the third energized the St. Pius crowd and would be the highlight of the third quarter, which saw the Golden Lions outscore the Dragons 20-14 to hold a 51-35 lead with one quarter to go.

Despite some continued efforts from the Dragons in the fourth quarter, Pickens was unable to close the gap, resulting in a 71-45 win for St. Pius.

Clay Wigington held his own against Harris, leading Pickens in scoring with eleven points. Wigington also recorded seven rebounds (a team high), one assist, and two blocks in the loss.

Jacob Stephens did his part for Pickens against St. Pius, scoring eight points in the contest. Stephens also had one rebound.

The Nettes and Dragons are off until December 26th, when the Pickens Holiday Classic tips off at PHS. FYN will post the schedule for these games once they are made available.