Jasper, Ga — It was a big time atmosphere inside the Dragons Den on Tuesday, December 12th as the Pickens Dragons took on the Dawson Tigers in an important game early on in the 7-AAA schedule. The Dragons, came into the game 4-4 and 0-1 in region play. The Tigers, came into the game, 5-3 and 1-1 in region play. The Dragons, outscored the Tigers 37-21 in the second half to pick up a much needed win, 74-59.

Caleb Lanford got the scoring started for the Dragons in the first quarter as he hit a three to put them up 3-0 early on. Trey Harvey, would go on a 5-0 run as he tied the game with a three, then gave the Tigers their first lead of the night with a pair of free throws. After Parker Davis tied the game with a bucket, Harvey made two more free throws, then Caden Reed and Ethan Parker both made baskets to give the Tigers an 11-5 lead.

Parker Davis, ended the 6-0 run with a layup to make it 11-7. A 4-0 run by Dre Walton and Harvey, pushed the Tigers lead to 15-7. After a layup by Dodge Davis, Amari Horner connected on a layup of his own to make it 17-9. Dodge Davis, cut the lead to 6 with a pair of free throws. Both teams would trade buckets to end the first quarter as the Tigers took a 19-13 lead into the second.

Reed, extended the Tigers lead to begin the second quarter with a basket to make it 21-13. The Dragons cut it to 4 after Dodge Davis split a pair of free throws and Lanford hit a three to make it 21-17. Parker, would make a layup to bring the lead back to 6, then both teams traded free throws as the Tigers led it 25-19. The Dragons, then went on an 8-0 run as McCord Purdy made a basket, and Lanford and Hayden Jones hit a pair of three pointers to give the Dragons a 28-27 lead.

Both teams would then go back and forth as the first half came to an end. Parker, made a long two pointer just before the end of the first half to put the Tigers on top, 38-37 at the break.

The Dragons, started the second half on a 5-0 run as Dodge Davis split a pair of free throws, and he and Purdy made back to back shots to give Pickens a 42-37 lead. After both teams traded buckets for a bit, Purdy and Lanford combined for a 5-0 run to give the Dragons a 52-45 lead. Harvey and Parker combined for a 4-0 run to close out the third quarter a Pickens led Dawson, 52-49 going to the fourth.

The Dragons, went on a 7-0 run to begin the fourth quarter as Parker Davis made a layup, and Purdy connected on a pair of free throws and a three pointer to make it 59-49. After a basket by Reed to end the run, Lanford and Parker Davis combined for a 5-0 run to make it 64-51. Later on in the quarter, the Tigers were able to cut the lead down to 9, but the Dragons were able to hold on and pick up a big region win, 74-59.

Scorers for the Dragons:

Caleb Lanford: 19 points

McCord Purdy: 18 points

Parker Davis: 14 points

Hayden Jones: 13 points

Dodge Davis: 8 points

Nathan Wallace: 2 points

Scorers for the Tigers:

Trey Harvey: 27 points

Ethan Parker: 17 points

Caden Reed: 7 points

Nick Bellinger: 2 points

Amari Horner: 2 points

Dre Walton: 2 points

7-AAA Region Standings:

Gilmer: 6-2 (3-0)

Wesleyan: 6-5 (2-0)

West Hall: 3-5 (2-1)

Pickens: 5-4 (1-1)

Dawson: 5-4 (1-2)

White County: 3-7 (0-2)

Lumpkin: 2-8 (0-3)

The Dragons, will be back on their home floor on Friday, December 15th as they host the Lumpkin Indians in another 7-AAA contest. Tip scheduled for 7:30 pm.