Dragons win first State Tournament game since 2000
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports February 22, 2024
Jasper, Ga — It’s tournament time and the Pickens Dragons began their State Tournament journey on Wednesday, February 21st as they hosted the Coahulla Creek Colts for a first round match up in the AAA State Tournament. Coming into the game, the Dragons were the #2 seed out of region 7 and 20-8 overall. The Colts, came in as the #3 seed from region 6, and 19-8 overall. The Dragons, were able to pull away late in the game to pick up a 67-53 win.
Much like the girls game beforehand, the Colts won the opening tip and struck early as they found Andrew Russell cutting to the basket for the layup to make it 2-0. The Dragons, would tie things up with a basket by Parker Davis. A turnover by the Dragons led to Teagan Houser making a fast break layup to put the Colts back up, 4-2. After another near turnover, Dodge Davis was able to collect the ball and score to tie it up at 4.
The Colts, would then go on a 4-0 run as Russell and Cullen Marti would make back to back layups to give the Colts an 8-4 lead. After Parker Davis split a pair of free throws, Carter Quarles would make a tough turnaround fade away jumper to extend the lead to 10-5. The Dragons, would then go on an 8-0 run as Caleb Lanford hit a three, McCord Purdy would make a layup, and Dodge Davis would make a free throw and a layup to make it 13-10.
A pair of free throws from Greg Voyles would end the run and cut the Dragons lead to 1. Dodge Davis, would end the first quarter with a pair of free throws of his own to give the Dragons a 15-12 lead going to the second quarter.
The second quarter began with Waelyn Baliles getting inside for the bucket to make it 15-14. The Davis brothers would then go on a 4-0 run to stretch the Dragon lead out to 19-14. A 5-0 run by David Noll III would tie the game at 19. The Dragons, would respond with a 5-0 run of their own as Parker Davis would make a pair of free throws, and Lanford would hit a three to make it 24-19.
A three pointer by Quarles would cut the lead to 2. After both teams traded baskets, Parker Davis and Purdy would end the first half on a 4-0 run to give the Dragons a 30-24 lead going into the break.
The third quarter started with Lanford hitting a three to make it 33-24. After both teams went back and forth trading buckets, the Dragons would go on a 5-0 run as Purdy hit a three, and Lanford got a layup to go to make it 41-30. A three by Quarles would end the run and cut the lead to 8. After a basket by Dodge Davis, Quarles would hit another three to make it a 7-point game. Lanford would answer with a three to extend the lead to 46-36.
The Colts, would go on a 5-0 run to cut the lead in half. A big three from Freshman Jamin Martin, increased the lead back to 8. A 4-0 run by the Colts to end the third quarter cut the Dragons lead down to 49-47 going to the fourth.
The Dragons, began the fourth quarter by going on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 56-47. Marti, would end the run with a turnaround hook shot to make it 56-49. A layup by Hayden Jones and a free throw and a big two-handed dunk from Dodge Davis made it 61-49 Dragons. Houser, would hit a three to cut the lead down to 9. He would then split a pair of free throws to make it 61-53.
After a steal on the in-bounds pass, Jones was left all alone for the jam to make it 63-53. With under a minute to go and the Colts now having to foul, Parker Davis would step to the line and sink two free throws to make it 65-53. The exclamation point came late in the game when Lanford stole the ball, passed it up to Purdy, who then bounced it off the back board for Parker Davis to finish the alley-oop slam. The Dragons would take this one, 67-53.
Scorers for the Dragons:
Dodge Davis: 19 points
Parker Davis: 17 points
Caleb Lanford: 17 points
Mccord Purdy: 7 points
Hayden Jones: 4 points
Jamin Martin: 3 points
The Dragons, will now take to the road on Saturday, February 24th as they head up to Hart County to take on the Bulldogs in the AAA Sweet 16. The Bulldogs, are the #1 seed out of region 8 and are 15-13 overall. Tip off is set for 6 pm.
Nettes advance to AAA Sweet 16
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports February 22, 2024
Jasper, Ga — It’s state tournament time in Georgia for basketball as the Pickens Dragonettes hosted the Coahulla Creek Lady Colts in the first round of the AAA State Tournament on Wednesday, February 21st. Coming into the game, the Nettes were the #2 seed out of region 7, and ranked 4th in AAA. The Lady Colts, were the #3 seed out of region 6, and came in with a record of 18-8. The Nettes, got 26 from Sophomore Ellison Steinhauer as they picked up a 71-46 win.
The Lady Colts, got the opening tip, and got fouled on their opening possession. Shea Poe, would split a pair of free throws to give the Lady Colts a 1-0 lead. Caroline Reed, would add to the lead after a nice cut to the basket for the layup to make it 3-0. With the shot clock winding down, Steinhauer, was fouled on a three point attempt. She would go 2-3 from the line to cut the Lady Colts lead down to 1.
After a steal on the defensive end by Caroline Mullins, she took the length of the floor for the layup to give the Nettes a 4-3 lead. Mullins, would get the defensive rebound after the Lady Colts possession and again sprint down the court for another layup to make it 6-3. A baseline drive by Reed for the lay in ended the 6-0 run for the Nettes and cut the lead down to 6-5.
Bella Hopkins, would get in on the action with her first points of the night as she nailed a three to make it 9-5. Steinhauer, would hit her first three of the night soon after, to push the lead to 12-5. Aubree Langley, would end the run with a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 12-7. A second three pointer by Hopkins would make it 15-7 Nettes going to the second quarter.
After a pair of fouls on the Lady Colts to begin the second quarter, Mullins, got the scoring started as she collected an offensive rebound and hit a jumper to make it 17-7. The Lady Colts, would then go on a 7-0 run with Poe, Lilah Brooker, and Karis Hurt all contributing to cut the lead down to 17-14. The Nettes, would respond with a 7-0 run of their own as Steinhauer and Mullins would make two free throws and Hopkins would hit her third three to make it 24-14. A three by Poe would cut the lead to 24-17.
Steinhauer, would head back to the line after she was hip checked while shooting a three. She would make all three free throws to increase the lead back to 10. A three by Brooker would make it 27-20. Mullins, would score the last points of the first half with a floater just inside the free throw line to give the Nettes a 29-20 lead at the half.
The third quarter started with Hopkins hitting her fourth three of the game to make it 32-20. After a three by Presley Denton cut the lead back to 9, Mullins would make a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 11. Poe and Steinhauer, would then exchange three point makes as the Nettes led, 37-26. A layup by Hurt would cut the lead back to single digits. A pair of free throws by Steinhauer would push the lead right back to 11.
After a little back and forth from both teams, the Nettes would go on an 8-0 run to close out the third quarter with Bella Martin, Mullins, and Steinhauer all contributing. Going to the fourth quarter, the Nettes led it, 55-34.
The fourth quarter began with a 5-0 run from Poe and Hurt to cut the lead to 55-39. After a three by Reagan Ludington, Poe would make another three to cut the lead to 58-42. The Nettes, would then go on a 7-0 run as Mullins would make back to back layups and Steinhauer would make three straight free throws to extend the lead to 65-42. A basket by Langley would end the run and make it 65-44.
The Bella’s, would then hit back to back threes as Bella Martin made her second three of the game and Bella Hopkins would make her fifth three of the game to increase the lead to 71-44. A late bucket by Kayden Stuckey would make it 71-46. The Nettes would run out the rest of the clock and they would advance to the AAA Sweet 16 with a 71-46 victory.
Scorers for the Nettes:
Ellison Steinhauer: 26 points (4 threes, 12-13 from the free throw line)
Caroline Mullins: 21 points (5-6 from the free throw line)
Bella Hopkins: 15 points (5 threes)
Bella Martin: 6 points (2 threes)
Reagan Ludington: 3 points (1 three)
The Nettes, will now look ahead to their match up in the Sweet 16 as they will take on the Hebron Christian Lady Lions. The Lady Lions, are 26-2 on the season, ranked as the #1 team in AAA, and the #11 team in the nation. Tip off is set for Friday, February 23rd at 6 pm.
Nettes advance to AAA State Tournament
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports February 14, 2024
Jasper, Ga — It was the ladies turn on Tuesday, February 13th for the first round of the 7-AAA Region Tournament. Just like the Dragons, by virtue of being the #2 seed, the Nettes were the host school for the first round. Earlier games saw White County defeat Lumpkin at the buzzer 45-43, and Dawson hold off a very game Gilmer team, 36-30. The Nettes, were able to join those two as they defeated the West Hall Lady Spartans, 74-12.
The first quarter started with the Nettes going on a 10-0 run. Caroline Mullins, would score 8 of the 10 points with Brylee Deering scoring the other 2 points with a layup. Yatsar Matos, ended the run with a bucket to make it 10-2. The Nettes, would then go on a 9-0 run with Ellison Steinhauer hitting back to back threes, then Bella Martin connected on a three to make it 19-2. The Lady Spartans, ended that run with a three of their own to make it 19-5.
The Nettes, would close out the first quarter with another 9-0 run as Emery Steinhauer hit a three, Caleigh Hoffard made a layup, and Mullins made back to back layups. Going to the second quarter, the Nettes led the Lady Spartans, 28-5.
That run, continued to begin the second quarter as Mullins made another layup, and Deering completed the and-1 to make it 33-5. After a bucket by Matos to make it 33-7, the Nettes would go on an 11-0 run as Martin hit back to back threes, Ellie Hollis would make a layup, and Bella Hopkins would hit a three to stretch the lead to 44-7. The two teams would trade baskets for the rest of the first half as they went into halftime with the Nettes leading, 49-12.
The third quarter saw the Nettes go on a 13-0 run throughout the entire quarter as Reagan Ludington started it off with back to back threes. Brylee Deering, would add 5 more points to her total in the quarter as she made two layups and a free throw. Mullins, would make a layup during the run to push the Nettes lead out to 62-12 going to the fourth.
It was more of the same in the fourth quarter as the Nettes would go on a 12-0 run throughout the frame. Bree Jewell, would make three threes in the fourth while Martin would make her fourth of the game during the shortened fourth quarter. The Nettes, would come away with a 74-12 win.
Scorers for the Nettes:
Caroline Mullins: 16 points
Bella Martin: 12 points (4 threes)
Brylee Deering: 10 points
Bree Jewell: 9 points (3 threes)
Bella Hopkins: 6 points (2 threes)
Reagan Ludington: 6 points (2 threes)
Ellison Stienhauer: 6 points (2 threes)
Ellie Hollis: 4 points
Emery Steinhauer: 3 points (1 three)
Caleigh Hoffard: 2 points
With the win, the Nettes have earned a spot in the AAA State Tournament. They have also advanced to the 7-AAA Region Tournament Semifinals where they will take on the Dawson Lady Tigers at Lumpkin on Thursday, February 15th. Tip off is scheduled for 4 pm.
Dragons punch ticket to AAA State Tournament
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports February 13, 2024
Jasper, Ga — It’s region tournament time as the 7-AAA region tournament started on Monday, February 12th. By virtue of being the #2 seed, Pickens hosted the first round of the tournament. Earlier games saw Dawson defeat Wesleyan, and Lumpkin defeat White County. The Dragons, with the home crowd watching, picked up a 66-36 win over the Spartans to advance to the State Tournament and the semifinals of the region tournament.
The first quarter began with the Dragons going on an 11-0 run. Nathan Wallace, Dodge Davis, Caleb Lanford, and McCord Purdy all contributed to the run. A basket just outside the free throw line by the Spartans ended the run and made it 11-2. The Dragons, would answer with a 5-0 run to make it 16-2. a bucket by the Spartans just as the shot clock was about to go off would make it 16-4 going to the second quarter.
The second quarter began with a three by Lanford. His third of the first half. After a basket by the Spartans to make it 19-6, West Hall followed it up with a three pointer to cut the lead to 19-9. The Spartans would add to their run with a free throw line jumper to make it 19-11. The Dragons, would put an end to the 7-0 run with a three by Purdy to stretch the lead to 22-11.
Jamin Martin, would then hit his first three of the ball game to make it 25-11. The run would continue for the Dragons as Parker Davis got the layup to go to make it 27-11. The 8-0 run would come to an end as the Spartans hit a jumper to make it 27-13. After a cold streak by both teams, Lanford would find Parker Davis underneath for the layup to make it 29-13. Hayden Jones, would somehow split a double team for the layup to make it 31-13.
A long three by the Spartans would make it 31-16. Parker Davis, would collect an offensive rebound and get the put back amidst the contact. He would make the free throw to give the Dragons a 34-16 lead. Just before the end of the first half, a foul on a three point attempt was called. The Spartans, would make two of the three free throws and going into the half, the Dragons led, 34-18.
The third quarter started with Lanford hitting his fourth three pointer of the game to stretch the lead to 37-18. After a defensive rebound by the Dragons, Purdy found Jones with an outlet pass who then found a cutting Dodge Davis, who threw down the two-handed dunk to make it 39-18. The Spartans, would end the 5-0 run with a tough layup to cut the lead to 39-20. The fifth three of the evening by Lanford gave the Dragons a 42-20 lead.
Parker Davis, would then use a nice head fake to drive in for the layup to make it 44-20. Dodge Davis, would then split a pair of free throws to make it 45-20. The Spartans, would get the hook shot to fall and make the free throw to cut the lead to 45-23. Dodge Davis, would get by his man for the layup to make it 47-23. After a turnover by the Spartans, Martin, would hit his second three of the night to make it 50-23.
Marin, would continue his hot shooting as he hit another three to make it 53-23. The Spartans, would end the run with a turnaround jumper to cut the lead to 53-25. A lay in by the Spartans would make it 53-27. Purdy, would then split a pair of free throws to make it 54-27. A steal by Montego Morgan would lead to Martin’s third three of the quarter and his fourth of the game. A running hook shot by the Spartans would make it 57-29.
A nice find from Parker Davis to Hayden Jones for the layup made it 59-29. After a defensive rebound by the Dragons, Martin hit Jones with a great lead pass from the other end of the court for the layup to make it 61-29. The Spartans, used a nice jump stop move for the layup to make it 61-31 going to the fourth.
The shortened fourth quarter would begin with the Spartans making a layup after a nice pass to cut the lead to 61-33. The Spartans, would then collect a defensive rebound and turn it into a three pointer to make it 61-36. The Dragons, would end the 5-0 run by the Spartans as Jones got into the lane for the layup and the foul. Jones, would make the free throw to put the Dragons up, 64-36. Camden Jones, would make the layup after a nice pass to make it 66-36.
That would be the final as the Dragons defeated the West Hall Spartans for the third time this season to advance to the AAA State Basketball Tournament and to the semifinals of the 7-AAA region tournament.
Scorers for the Dragons:
Caleb Lanford: 17 points (5 threes)
Jamin Martin: 12 points (4 threes)
Dodge Davis: 9 points
Parker Davis: 9 points
Hayden Jones: 9 points
McCord Purdy: 6 points
Camden Jones: 2 points
Nathan Wallace: 2 points
The Dragons, will now get ready for Thursday, February 15th as they head to Lumpkin to take on the Indians in one of the semifinal games of the 7-AAA region tournament. Tip off is set for 5:30 pm.