Nettes to face Lady Wolves in 7-AAA Region Championship
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports February 16, 2024
Dahlonega, Ga — It was semifinal Thursday on February 15th as the Pickens Dragonettes took on the Dawson Lady Tigers for a spot in the 7-AAA Region Championship game. These two teams split their two regular season meetings with the home team getting the win on those occasions. Behind big games from Bella Hopkins and Caroline Mullins, the Nettes picked up a 67-45 win over the Lady Tigers.
The Lady Tigers, got things going to start the ball game with a three from Kindra Coker to give them an early lead. After a tough layup by Hopkins to cut the lead to 1, Morgan Chester and Abby Samples-Slaton would make back to back layups to stretch the lead to 7-2. A three by Hopkins would cut the lead to 7-5. After a bucket by Eva Bishop, the Nettes would go on an 8-0 run with Hopkins and Mullins to take the lead, 13-9.
A three by Samples-Slaton would cut the lead down to 1. The Nettes, would end the first quarter with a 5-0 run as Mullins made a layup, and Hopkins hit her second three to make it 18-12 going to the second quarter.
Hopkins, continued her offensive onslaught to begin the second quarter as she hit a three, and completed an and-1 play to make it 24-12. Bishop, broke what ended up being an 11-0 run by the Nettes with a basket to cut the lead to 10. The Nettes, would answer with an 8-0 run as Bella Martin would hit a three, then Ellison Steinhauer would make back to back layups and a free throw to make it 32-14.
A 4-0 run by Bishop and Chester would cut the lead down to 32-18. After a basket by Steinhauer, Chester would go on a 4-0 run to make it 34-22. Back to back threes from Hopkins closed out the first half as the Nettes took a 40-22 lead into the break.
Bishop, started the second half with a bucket to make it 40-24. Mullins would answer back with a layup of her own. After Steinhauer split a pair of free throws, Ava Roberson would get her name into the score book with a layup to make it 43-26. Hopkins, would then score her first points of the second half to make it a 19-point game. The two teams would then trade baskets as Martin would hit her second three to make it 52-32.
The Lady Tigers, would end the third quarter on a 6-0 run as Chester, Anna Ayers, and Heather Burt would help cut the lead down to 52-38 going to the fourth.
After a couple of fouls and turnovers by both teams, Steinhauer began the fourth quarter scoring with a three to make it 55-38. Hopkins, would then complete an and-1 to make it 58-38. Samples-Slaton, would end the 5-0 run with a bucket to make it 58-40. A 5-0 run from Martin would give the Nettes a 63-40 lead. A three by Coker would cut the lead to 63-43.
Mullins, would make back to back layups to make it 67-43. Chester, would score the final points of the game with a layup as the Nettes come away with the 67-45 victory.
Scorers for the Nettes:
Bella Hopkins: 27 points (5 threes)
Caroline Mullins: 16 points
Ellison Steinhauer: 13 points
Bella Martin: 11 points
The Nettes, will now turn their focus to Saturday, February 17th as they face off against the Wesleyan Lady Wolves for the 7-AAA Region Championship. Wesleyan defeated the White County Lady Warriors 87-55 to advance to the region title game. Tip off is set for 6 pm and will be played at Lumpkin.
Nettes road trip begins with tough loss at Dawson
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports January 27, 2024
Dawsonville, Ga — The Pickens Dragonettes began a four game road trip in region play on Friday, January 26th as they traveled to Dawsonville to take on the Dawson Lady Tigers. Coming into the game, the Nettes were 19-1, 6-1 in 7-AAA, and ranked 3rd in 3A. The Lady Tigers, came into the game 12-8, 5-3 in 7-AAA, and ranked 7th in 3A. The Lady Tigers, were able to earn an in season split as they picked up the win, 53-46.
The ball game began with Ellison Steinhauer putting the Nettes on top with a three pointer. The Lady Tigers, responded with a 9-0 run as Kindra Coker, and Abby Samples-Slaton contrubuted to the run to make it 9-3. Steinhauer, ended the run with her second three pointer of the quarter to cut the lead to 3. Caroline Mullins, would then make a pair of free throws to cut the lead down to 9-8.
A 7-0 combined run by Eva Bishop and Ava Roberson, stretched the Lady Tiger lead to 16-8. A basket by Steinhauer put a stop to the second Lady Tiger run as they would head to the second quarter with Dawson leading, 16-10.
The second quarter started with Steinhauer splitting a pair of free throws and Mullins hitting a shot to make it 16-13. The Lady Tigers would then go on a 5-0 run as Coker made a basket and a pair of free throws. Morgan Chester got in on the action with a bucket to make it 21-13. Mullins, would then cut the lead down to 4 after making four straight free throws. Slaton, Steinhauer, and Maddie Siuta would trade baskets to end the first half as the Lady Tigers led it, 27-21.
The third quarter began with both teams trading buckets as the Lady Tigers continued to lead it, 33-25. The Nettes, would cut it to 5 after Bella Hopkins split a pair of free throws and Mullins connected on a shot to make it 33-28. back to back three pointers from Siuta and Slaton stretched the lead to 39-28. A three by Steinhauer cut it back down to single digits. Mullins would follow with a lay in to cut the lead back to 6.
Bishop, got a layup to go to make it an 8 point game. A pair of free throw makes by Hopkins would again cut the lead to 41-35 as they would head to the fourth quarter.
Mullins, started the fourth quarter with a bucket to make it 41-37. After several fouls, Bishop would make two straight trips to the free throw line. She connected on all four shots to make it 45-37. Hopkins, then split a pair of free throws to make it 45-38. Siuta, would hit a three to make it a 10 point game. After a lay up by Hopkins, Bishop, answered with her own lay up to make it 50-40. Mullins and Slaton would then trade baskets as that made it 52-42.
The Nettes, would cut the lead down to 6 as both Mullins and Steinhauer made a pair of free throws to make it 52-46. A free throw make by Siuta would help seal the win for the Lady Tigers, 53-46.
Scorers for the Nettes:
Caroline Mullins: 20 points
Ellison Steinhauer: 20 points
Bella Hopkins: 6 points
Scorers for the Lady Tigers:
Eva Bishop: 17 points
Kindra Coker: 12 points
Abby Samples-Slaton: 12 points
7-AAA Region Standings:
#2 Wesleyan: 16-2 (8-0)
#3 Pickens: 19-2: (6-2)
#7 Dawson: 13-8 (6-3)
#6 White County: 16-5 (4-4)
Lumpkin: 9-12 (4-5)
Gilmer: 7-12 (2-7)
West Hall: 1-17 (0-9)
The Nettes, will be back on the road for the second game of their four game road trip as they take on the Lumpkin County Lady Indians on Tuesday, January 30th. The Nettes, defeated the Lady Indians back on December 15th and will look to stay in 2nd place in 7-AAA. Tip off is set for 6 pm.