Pickens Held in Check in Second Day of Holiday Classic

The Pickens Dragonettes and Dragons held their own for a while on the second day of the Pickens Holiday Classic but unfortunately were unable to come out victorious, as the Nettes fought hard but lost to Collins Hill 44-40 and the Dragons played great but eventually came up on the wrong side of a 59-55 game.The Dragonettes took on the Collins Hill Lady Eagles in a game that looked lopsided in the beginning thanks to an 8-0 run by the Lady Eagles. However, Pickens answered with a 10-3 run to close the quarter, leaving Pickens down 11-10 going into the second period. The Dragonettes forced Collins Hill to foul repeatedly in the second quarter, allowing the Nettes to utilize its free throws in a quarter that saw Pickens continue its run from the opening period and extend it to 23-6 and hit halftime with a 26-17 lead.

As impressive as the second quarter was for the Dragonettes, things would take a different turn in the third quarter. Despite earning more free throws against the Lady Eagles, Pickens saw its offense slow down tremendously, allowing Collins Hill to come roaring back and cut the Dragonettes’ lead to 31-27 going into the fourth quarter.

The Nettes continued to trade shots with the Lady Eagles in the fourth quarter, and with 3:49 left in the fourth quarter the game was deadlocked 36-36. Pickens had several opportunities to take the lead and then tie the game back once Collins Hill took the lead, but unfortunately it just was not in the cards on this night. When it was all said and done, the Lady Eagles won the game 44-40.

Haley Kalson led the Nettes in scoring in this game, finishing the contest with eighteen points. Kalson also had two rebounds and one assist in the contest.

Sarah Smith made a mark for the Nettes in this one, finishing the game with ten points. Smith also had a team-high nine rebounds along with one assist and one block.

Following the Nettes’ game was the matchup between the Pickens Dragons and the Model Blue Devils. Pickens and Model immediately began trading blows back and forth in this contest, leading to many points and many fouls in the opening quarter. In the closing seconds a pass from Dalton Bruce to Wesley Sparks would result in a two-point play by Sparks and a 14-12 lead for the Dragons at the quarter’s end.

The second quarter saw Pickens make all the right moves over and over, making the most of a great rebounding effort as a team to put together a 20-14 run to give the Dragons a 34-26 lead at halftime.

Both the Dragons and the Nettes had great second quarters, but just like the Dragonettes did against Collins Hill, the boys’ squad slowed down tremendously in the third quarter. Pickens simply could not rebound against a hungry Blue Devils team, which resulted in several second-shot opportunities for Model that would lead to points for the road squad. When the third quarter was said and done, the Blue Devils outscored the Dragons 23-6, giving Model a 49-40 lead with one quarter to play.

Pickens looked prepared to re-take the lead or at least force overtime in this one, cutting Model’s lead to 53-49 with 3:11 remaining in regulation. Unfortunately for Dragons’ fans, the Blue Devils used its height to its advantage in the fourth, rebounding consistently and hitting free throws to guarantee the team a victory. Model would go on to defeat Pickens 59-55.

Wesley Sparks had his best game of the season against the Blue Devils, recording a team-high sixteen points in this game. Sparks also had one rebound and one assist in the defeat.

Clay Wigington did all he could against the Blue Devils, leading the Dragons in rebounding with eight rebounds. Wigington also had ten points, one block, and one steal in the game.

Dalton Bruce made his presence felt for Pickens on this night, scoring nine points with one assist, four assists (a team-high), and two steals.

The Dragonettes and Dragons will be playing again on Saturday in the final day of the Holiday Classic. The Nettes will take on the Eagle’s Landing Lady Eagles at 6:00 in the new gym, followed by the Dragons’ game against the Eagles.