The Pickens Dragonettes and Dragons had a successful set of games on Monday night, as both squads defeated their opponent from Cass High School.The first game of the evening featured the Nettes and the Lady Colonels in what would prove to be a low-scoring affair. Pickens made its mark early in this game, outscoring Cass by four points to hold a 9-5 lead at the first quarter’s end.

The Dragonettes really kept Cass down in the second quarter, forcing the Lady Colonels to make mistakes thanks to great defensive pursuit. When the buzzer finally sounded, Pickens had outscored Cass 12-4, giving the Nettes a 21-9 lead going into the locker room.

Cass attempted to stage a comeback in the third quarter of play, posting twelve points in the allotted eight minutes. However, the Dragonettes nearly answered the Lady Colonels step for step, scoring ten points to head into the fourth with a 31-21 lead.

Up ten minutes with eight minutes to go, Pickens held its own in the fourth quarter, answering Cass’ thirteen points with twelve of its own to pull out a 43-34 victory.

Sarah Smith’s scoring has been automatic again and again this season, and it seemed to be the case again on Monday. When this matchup with Cass was all said and done, the senior had team-highs in scoring with eleven points and rebounding with seven, respectively. Smith also had one assist in the victory.

Haley Kalson continued to add to her impressive junior campaign with another good outing in this one, scoring ten points and recording four rebounds. Kalson also had two steals and one assist against the Lady Colonels.

With the girls’ victory already sealed, the Dragons hit the court determined to quiet the Colonels. The situation looked dismal for the Dragons in the beginning, as Cass took control early on to the tune of a 16-4 lead. Despite the early struggles, Pickens responded to end the quarter, outscoring Cass 6-2 to trail 18-10 at the period’s end.

Pickens kept up their hot pace in the second period, hitting shot after shot to cut into Cass’ lead and eventually add to their own lead. When the teams took off for the locker rooms, the Colonels were in possession of a slim 26-25 lead.

The difference is this close matchup would show itself in the third quarter, which was for all intents and purposes owned by Pickens. Although the Colonels would have a respectable quarter with nine points, the Dragons took it up a notch, scoring fifteen points to hold a 40-35 lead with a quarter to go.

The Colonels did what they could to ruin the Dragons’ chances in the fourth quarter, but they simply could not shut down the scoring tandem of Shannon Brooks and Tanner Brumby, who finished the game with a combined total of 38 points. Pickens would outscore Cass 17-13 in the fourth quarter to win this one 57-48.

Shannon Brooks has proven time and time again how his athleticism transfers so well from the football field to the basketball court, and Monday just added to his highlights. In all, Brooks had team highs with twenty-one points and eight rebounds as well as one assist and one steal.

Tanner Brumby’s success in both football and basketball is also very impressive, and the senior made sure to play just as well as his two-sport teammate. Brumby had a good game against the Colonels, posting seventeen points with two rebounds and two steals.

Clay Wigington’s presence and assertiveness down low has helped Pickens win the rebounding battle in a great portion of their games this year, and the case was no different on Monday. Wigington tied Brooks to lead the team with eight rebounds to go along with four points and one steal.

With twenty-one games now completed, both the Dragonettes and the Dragons hold records of 12-9 as well as 3-2 records in region play.

Barring difficulties due to the weather, both squads will be back in action on Friday, when they take on rival Gilmer in Ellijay. The girls’ game is currently scheduled to be played at 7:00 p.m. in Ellijay; if the games are postponed, FYN will make sure to post an update including the proposed makeup day.