Rice throws complete game shutout as Dragons sweep Tigers
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 6, 2023
Jasper, Ga — On another beautiful day for baseball, the Pickens Dragons welcomed the Dawson Tigers to Dunn Field for the third and final game of their 7-AAA series on Thursday, April 6th. The Dragons, came into the game looking to sweep the series, while the Tigers came into the game looking to at least steal a game. The Dragons, got a masterful performance from Freshman A.J. Rice as he threw a 4-hit complete game shutout as Pickens picked up a 3-0 win.
In the top of the first, Rice started off the game with a strikeout. After a 1-out single by Sawyer Bearden, he would advance to 2nd after a ground out by Julian Horner. The Tigers, would leave Bearden stranded at 2nd after Rice picked up his 2nd K of the inning to send it to the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the frame, the Dragons got a 1-out double by Trace Ledbetter, and a 2-out walk by Tyler Payne.
Tigers starter Banks Hickman, got out of the first with a strikeout to send it to the second with the game still tied.
In the top of the second, Elijah Odom led off with a single. After Rice picked up his 3rd K of the game, Odom would be out at 2nd as Chase Adams reached on the fielder’s choice. Rice, got his 4th K to end the top of the second and keep the game scoreless. In the bottom of the second, James Tilley would reach on a 1-out single. He would then steal 2nd to put himself in scoring position. Colby Brooks, kept the inning going with a 2-out infield hit.
Hickman, was able to get out of the runners at 1st and 3rd jam with a ground out to send it to the third with the game still scoreless.
In the top of the third, Rice needed just 7 pitches to get out of the top half of the inning as he picked up 2 more strikeouts and a ground out. In the bottom of the third, Ledbetter, would reach after being hit by a pitch. Ezra Faber, would then come in to pitch run for Ledbetter. Tyler Payne, drew his 2nd walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Davin Abernathy, would come in to pitch run for Payne.
Dawson Holland, drove in Faber with the RBI double to make it 1-0 Dragons. Abernathy, would advanced to 3rd on the double, would come in to score after a wild pitch to make it 2-0 Dragons going to the fourth.
In the top of the fourth, Rice picked up his 7th strikeout to begin the inning. After a 1-out double by Davis Glass, Rice induced a grounder to 3rd and picked up his 8th strikeout leaving Glass stranded at 3rd. In the bottom of the fourth, Young Harris commit Evan Giddens, led off with a single. He would then steal 2nd to advance to scoring position. Ga Tech commit Connor Shouse, would advance Giddens to 3rd on a fly out to right.
Ledbetter, drove in Giddens with the RBI single to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, Rice continued his stellar night as he struck out the side giving him 11 punch outs on the night. In the bottom of the fifth, Bearden came on in relief of Hickman. Bearden, picked up 2 ground outs and a strikeout in a 1-2-3 inning to send it to the sixth with the Dragons leading, 3-0.
In the top of the sixth, Rice had his 2nd straight 1-2-3 inning as he picked up his 12th K, and 2 fly outs to send it to the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Brooks reached with his 2nd hit of the night. He advanced to scoring position after stealing 2nd. Bearden, got out of the inning by getting a fly out. Going to the seventh, the Dragons still led the Tigers, 3-0.
After Rice picked up two quick outs to start the top of the seventh, Preston Bannister kept the game alive for the Tigers with a 2-out single. In a fitting way to end the game, Rice fielded a grounder right to him and he would flip it to Ledbetter for the third and final out. The Dragons, pick up the sweep with the 3-0 win.
Stats for the Dragons:
Trace Ledbetter: 2-2 with a double, a single, a hit by pitch, and 1 RBI
Tyler Payne: 2 walks
Dawson Holland: 1-3 with a double and 1 RBI
James Tilley: 1-3 with a single and 1 stolen base
Evan Giddens: 1-3 with a single, 1 stolen base, and 1 run scored
Colby Brooks: 2-3 with 2 singles and 1 stolen base
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Davin Abernathy: 1 run scored
7-AAA Region Standings:
Pickens: 22-3 (14-1)
Lumpkin: 18-5 (9-3)
Wesleyan: 12-7 (9-3)
Dawson: 12-11 (8-7)
White Co.: 8-14 (3-9)
West Hall: 6-16 (2-10)
Gilmer: 6-16 (0-12)
With the win, the Dragons have run their win streak up to 15 games in a row. Next week, the Dragons will play their final region series of the season as they take on the Lumpkin County Indians. Game 1 of the series, is set for Tuesday, April 11th. Game will be at Lumpkin. First pitch set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons take series against Tigers
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 5, 2023
Dawsonville, GA — The action on the baseball field was just about as hot as the weather was on Wednesday, April 5th as the Pickens Dragons made the short drive to Dawsonville to take on the Dawson Tigers in game 2 of their 3-game region series. On Tuesday, April 4th, the Dragons took game 1 with a 5-3 win. The Tigers, came in looking to even up the series on their home field. A 4-run 2nd inning and a fantastic outing by James Tilley, gave the Dragons a 7-3 victory, and a series win.
In the top of the first, Tigers starter Joshua Priest, sat the Dragons down in order with a strikeout, a fly out, and a ground out. In the bottom of the frame, Dragons starter James Tilley, worked around some early trouble as the Tigers left 2 runners on to send it to the top of the second with the game tied at 0.
In the top of the second, Harlan Will led off with a solo home run to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. The Dragons, would collect 4 more hits, and 3 more runs as they took a 4-0 lead over the Tigers. In the bottom of the second, Tilley had a 6 pitch inning to send it to the top of the third with the Dragons leading, 4-0.
In the top of the third, the Dragons added to their lead as A.J. Rice knocked in a run on a double. Rice then scored on an error after Evan Giddens hit a single. Going to the bottom of the third, the Dragons were now leading the Tigers, 6-0. In the bottom of the third, the Tigers cut into the lead as they were able to get a 1-out, 2-run double to make it 6-2 Dragons going to the fourth.
In the top of the fourth, Priest, who was still on the mound, picked up his 2nd 1-2-3 inning as he picked up his 3rd and 4th K of the game. In the bottom of the fourth, Tilley, who had a long 3rd inning, needed just 5 pitches to get the Tigers out. Going to the fifth, the Dragons led the Tigers, 6-2.
In the top of the fifth, Priest, picked up his 5th K of the game as he threw his 2nd straight 1-2-3 inning to send it to the bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the frame, after giving up a lead off walk, Tilley, picked up a fielder’s choice out, a line out, and a fly out to send it to the sixth with the Dragons ahead, 6-2.
Rice, led off the top of the sixth with his 2nd double of the night. Rice, advanced to 3rd after a sacrifice bunt from Giddens. Colby Brooks, brought in Rice with an RBI ground out to make it 7-2 Dragons going to the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, the lead off man for the Tigers reached with a single. That runner would come into score after a 1-out single to make it 7-3 Dragons.
Tilley, got back to back strikeouts to end the inning and keep the lead at 7-3 going to the top of the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, Tyler Payne reached on a 1-out single. Dawson Holland, then followed with a double that advanced pitch runner Ezra Faber to 3rd. Priest, picked up a strikeout and a pop up to get out of the potential trouble and sending it to the bottom of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, Cason Cannon came on in relief of Tilley to try to shut the door on the Tigers.
Cannon, would give up a 1-out hit and a 2-out walk, but that would be all the Tigers would get as the Dragons took game 2, 7-3.
For the Dragons, it’s their 5th straight 7-AAA series win. They’ll look to complete their 4th straight region sweep on Thursday, April 6th as they will host the Dawson Tigers for the 3rd and final game of the series. First pitch set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons open series with big win against Dawson
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 5, 2023
Jasper, Ga — It was another beautiful day for high school baseball as the Pickens Dragons welcomed the Dawson Tigers to Dunn Field on Tuesday, March 4th for game 1 of 3 in 7-AAA. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were in 1st place in 7-AAA and had won 12 games in a row. For the Tigers, they came into the game in 3rd place in 7-AAA having taken 2 out of 3 from Lumpkin last week. The Dragons, got some great hitting and some clutch pitching down the stretch to take game 1, 5-3.
In the top of the first, Dragons starter Connor Shouse, sat the Tigers down in order with a fly out, a ground out, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Shouse led off with a double. Trace Ledbetter, followed that up with a single. Trey Payne, brought in Shouse with the RBI ground out to make it 1-0 Dragons going to the second.
In the top of the second, Shouse got 2 quick outs with a pop up to 2nd and strikeout. The Tigers, got their first base runner of the game after being hit with a pitch. Shouse, got out of the top of the second on the very next pitch with a fly out to center. In the bottom of the second, James Tilley led off by drawing a walk. Christian Starks, then moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. Evan Giddens, drove in Tilley with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 2-0 Dragons.
Colby Brooks, kept the inning going by reaching on a bunt single. He would then find himself in scoring position after stealing 2nd base. Tiger starter Trey Harvey, got out of the second as he induced a grounder to 3rd for the final out. Going to the third, the Dragons led the Tigers, 2-0.
In the top of the third, the Tigers picked up their first hit of the game with a 1-out single. After Shouse struck out his 4th batter of the game, the Tigers got another base runner after a hit by pitch. Shouse, picked up his 5th K of the game as he ended up striking out the side in the top of the third. In the bottom half of the inning, Trey Payne reached with a 1-out single. He then made it all the way to 3rd after a throwing error on a pick off attempt.
Tyler Payne, then brought in Trey Payne with the RBI ground out to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the top of the fourth.
In the top of the fourth, the Tigers led off with back to back singles. The 6th strikeout from Shouse was the first out of the inning. A wild pitch brought the Tigers first run of the game to make it 3-1 Dragons. A sacrifice fly RBI to center brought in the Tigers 2nd run of the inning to make it 3-2. The Dragons, got out of the inning with a ground out. Going to the bottom of the fourth, it was now 3-2 Dragons.
In the bottom of the fourth, Tilley led off by reaching on an error. Starks, followed that up by reaching on a single on the very next pitch. Giddens, laid down a great sacrifice bunt to move them over to 2nd and 3rd. Harvey, then got Brooks to pop out for the 2nd out. The Tigers, then chose to intentionally walk Shouse to load the bases. The Tigers, got out of the jam with a grounder to 1st. Going to the fifth, it was still 3-2 Dragons.
In the top of the fifth, the lead off man for the Tigers reached on a single. Shouse, who was still on the mound, forced a grounder that went to shortstop A.J. Rice, who took it himself to 2nd and then fired to 1st base for the double play. Shouse, then got a fly out to right on the next pitch to send it to the bottom of the frame. Trey Payne, led off the bottom of the fifth with his 2nd single of the game. The Tigers, then got a double play of their own for the 1st and 2nd out.
Kam Jenkins, kept the inning alive for the Dragons with a 2-out single. Tilley, drew his 2nd walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. The Tigers, got a grounder to 3rd for the third out of the frame. Going to the sixth, the Dragons were still holding on to a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the sixth, the Tigers had batters hit with back to back pitches to begin the inning. JP Nunn, then came on in relief of Shouse to try to keep the Dragons in the lead. Nunn, picked up a strikeout, then got a come backer and the out at 2nd for the second out, then a fly out to right for the 3rd out and to keep the lead intact for the Dragons. In the bottom of the sixth, Giddens, reached on a lead off full count walk.
Brooks, then moved Giddens over with a sacrifice bunt. Shouse, was then rung up on a pitch that looked to be outside for the 2nd out. Ledbetter, was then hit by a pitch to keep the inning alive. Tee Knight, then came in to run for Ledbetter and he and Giddens advanced after a passed ball. Trey Payne, came up with a massive hit for the Dragons as he drove in both Giddens and Knight with the 2-RBI single to make it 5-2 going to the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, the Tigers got their lead off man on with a single. After a long at bat, the Tigers picked up a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. The Tigers, followed those up with a single to load the bases with no outs. A grounder to 2nd led to a run scoring for Dawson making it 5-3. After Nunn picked up his 2nd K for the second out, the Tigers would again load the bases after a hit by pitch.
With the bases loaded, 2-outs, and his team up by 2 runs, Nunn locked in and picked up the 3rd and final out of the game with a strikeout on 3 pitches to preserve the 5-3 win for the Dragons.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1-3 with a double, 1 walk, and 1 run scored & 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 HBP, 6 K on 77 pitches
Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a single, and 1 hit by pitch
Trey Payne: 3-4 with 3 singles, 3 RBI, and 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1 RBI
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with a single
James Tilley: 2 walks and 1 run scored
Christian Starks: 1-2 with a single and a sacrifice bunt
Evan Giddens: sacrifice fly, sacrifice bunt, 1 walk, 1 RBI and 1 run scored
Colby Brooks: 1-2 with a single, and a sacrifice bunt
JP Nunn: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 K on 30 pitches
Tee Knight: 1 run scored
The Dragons, will be back on the ball field on Wednesday, April 5th as they head to Dawsonville to take on the Dawson Tigers in game 2 of the series. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons will be #3 seed in next week’s region tournament
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports February 11, 2023
Oakwood, Ga — After a tough game at home on Tuesday, February 7th against the now 7-AAA regular season champs Wesleyan, the Pickens Dragons, had one game left in the regular season. On Friday, February 10th, they traveled down to take on the West Hall Spartans. With a win, the Dragons would leap Gilmer for the #3 seed in the 7-AAA region tournament. It was a back and forth game with Pickens staging a late comeback to defeat the Spartans, 62-58.
The Spartans, got things going to begin the first quarter as Andrew Malin hit a floater in the lane to make it 2-0 early on. Jaden Stewart tied things up at 2 as he took the hand off from Kadyn Hampton and banked in a floater of his own. Hampton, then stole the ball and found McCord Purdy for a three pointer to give the Dragons a 5-2 lead. Malin, hit a free throw line jumper to cut the lead to 5-4. Owen Jenkins, gave West Hall its first lead of the game with a layup.
Caleb Lanford, answered with a three to give Pickens the lead back at 8-6. Hampton, then drove into the lane and got fouled. He would split the free throws to make it 9-6. Isaiah Holder, got a turnaround shot to go to cut the Dragons lead down to 9-8. Pickens, then went on a 6-0 run getting a lay in from Hampton, and two straight buckets from Purdy to make it 15-8. Quintavous Reid, would go on a 5-0 run to close the first quarter as the Dragons led, 15-13.
Reid, continued his scoring run into the second quarter as he tied the game up at 15. Lanford, ended what ended up being a 7-0 run with a lay in after a nice find by Hampton to put Pickens back on top, 17-15. West Hall, quickly retook the lead with a three pointer by Holder to make it 18-17. Stewart responded with a three of his own to make it 20-18 Dragons. The Spartans, then tied it at 20 with a layup as each team traded baskets.
James Tilley, retook the lead for Pickens as he made his first three of the game. Holder, made a layup after a bounce pass from Reid to make it 23-22 Dragons. Caleb Keith, then found Tilley for a mid range shot to make it 25-22. After a bucket by Reid, Stewart and Tilley made back to back three pointers to make it 31-24. A 4-0 run by West Hall cut the Dragons lead down to 31-28. Stewart, ended the run with a basket to make it 33-28.
A 5-0 run by the Spartans would tie the game back up. This time, at 33 a piece. With 2 seconds remaining in the first half, Isaiah Williams made a layup after a great pass by Purdy to put the Dragons up 35-33 over the Spartans at the break.
Lanford, got the scoring started in the second half with a three to make it 38-33 Pickens. Malin, got a pair of free throws to fall and Holder hit a three to tie the game at 38. Hampton, caught a pass from Lanford as he was cutting in the lane and laid it in to give the Dragons a 40-38 advantage. After Reid split a pair of free throws, Pickens went on a 5-0 run with Williams making a layup and Lanford hitting a three to make it 45-39.
Malin, split a pair of free throws to cut the Dragons lead down to 45-40. Williams, got a nice entry pass from Lanford as he would hit a turnaround floater to make it 47-40. The Spartans, then hit a three to make it 47-43. Williams, was then at the right place at the right time as he picked up a loose ball and laid it in to make it 49-43. With the game clock draining in the third, Xavier Felix threw up a contested corner three and made it to make it 49-46 Dragons going to the fourth.
Holder, got the scoring going in the fourth for the Spartans as he cut the Pickens lead down to 49-48. After a pair of free throws by Tilley, made it 51-48 Dragons. West Hall, would then go on a 10-0 run to take a 58-51 lead. Williams, ended the run as he split a pair of free throws to make it 58-52. He then cut the lead down to 58-55 after a three pointer. After a timeout by the Dragons, Lanford added to the run by making back to back baskets to put Pickens in front, 59-58.
With around 13 seconds left in the game, Hampton poked the ball loose and Williams was able to force a jump ball with the arrow pointing the way of the Dragons. With no choice but to foul, the Spartans put Stewart on the line to shoot the one and one. Stewart, made the front end, but would miss the second attempt to make it 60-58. On their next possession, West Hall threw the ball out of bounds. Turning it over. The Spartans fouled Tilley with 5 seconds left, and he calmly knocked down both shots to seal a 62-58 win for the Dragons.
Final 7-AAA Boys Basketball Standings:
Wesleyan: 19-6 (10-2) regular season champs & #1 seed
White County: 14-11 (8-4) #2 seed
Pickens: 12-12 (7-5) #3 seed
Gilmer: 17-8 (7-5) #4 seed
West Hall: 12-13 (6-6) #5 seed
Dawson: 9-16 (3-9) #6 seed
Lumpkin: 4-21 (1-11) #7 seed
The Dragons, will now look towards the 7-AAA Region Tournament next week as it will begin on Tuesday, February 14th at White County. As you see in the standings above, Pickens will be the #3 seed and take on the #6 seeded Dawson Tigers for a chance to make the 3A State Tournament. The Tigers, swept the season series with the Dragons taking the first game on December 13th 77-61 in Dawsonville, and the second game on January 26th 59-54 in Jasper. Tip off for the third meeting is set for 6 pm.
Dragons 4th quarter comeback attempt falls just short against Dawson
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports January 27, 2023
Jasper, Ga — Much like the Dragonettes, the Pickens Dragons followed up a tough week with a very solid week defeating West Hall at home and outlasting Gilmer on the road in Ellijay. The Dragons, were back home on Thursday, January 26th hosting the Dawson Tigers in what was a huge 7-AAA region match up. The Tigers, took game one of the season series and looked to complete the sweep. Pickens, looked to split the series and retake 3rd place in the standings. The Dragons, made things interesting in the fourth, but fell to Dawson, 59-54.
The Tigers, got things going to begin the game with a three pointer by Trey Harvey. Isaiah Williams, tied things up with a three of his own to make it 3 a piece. Both teams then took turns scoring as Ethan Parker made a bucket for Dawson, followed by Camden Dunn for Pickens, then Harvey again to make it 7-5 Tigers. The Dragons then went on a mini 4-0 run as Williams and Kadyn Hampton each made layups to make it 9-7 Pickens.
The Tigers, then went on a 6-0 run as Caden Reed and Harvey both made baskets, and Tyler Mazzaferro hit a pair of free throws to make it 13-9 Dawson. Hampton ended the run with a tough bucket to make it 13-11. After a three pointer by Joshua Priest to make it 16-11, McCord Purdy made his first shot of the game answering back with a three to make it 16-14. Reed, made a layup to stretch it out to 18-14 Tigers going to the second.
Dragons on offense looking to take the lead
Reed, ended the first quarter scoring and began the second quarter scoring as he hit a three pointer to make it 21-14. Seth Cronic, got the scoring in the second quarter started for the Dragons with a layup to make it 21-16. That started what ended up being an 8-0 run for Pickens as Dunn and Jaden Stewart hit back to back three pointers to give the Dragons a 22-21 lead. After Harvey split a pair of free throws to tie it up at 22, he fouled Hampton on the way up for a layup. Hampton made the basket and converted the and-1 to make it 25-22 Pickens.
Dawson then went on a 4-0 run as both Mazzaferro and Reed both made buckets to make it 26-25 Tigers. Caleb Lanford, gave the Dragons the lead right back with a jumper to make it 27-26. Harvey and Reed combined to go on a 4-0 run to close the first half and give the Tigers a 30-27 lead going to the break.
Dragons defending a shot attempt
Much like the first two quarters, Dawson began the second half with a three pointer by Priest to make it 33-27. After a layup by Williams, Harvey hit a three to make it 36-29 Tigers. Dunn cut it to four with a three pointer as the Dragons looked to stay in it. The Tigers, then went on a 5-0 run as Reed made a basket, and Priest made another three to make it 41-32. A mad scramble for the ball led to Parker Davis coming up with it and making the layup to cut it to 41-34. Reed answered with a three pointer to make it 44-34 Dawson.
Lanford, got one to go as he made it 44-36. Priest, hit his third three pointer of the quarter as he stretched the Tiger lead out to 47-36. Hampton, closed the third quarter scoring with a bucket to make it 47-38 Dawson going to the fourth.
Dragons on offense in the second half
To start the fourth quarter, Hampton got fouled on a shot attempt and split the pair of free throws to make it 47-39. Dawson responded with a bucket by Reed and a three pointer by Mazzaferro to make it 52-39. Lanford, got fouled and made both free throws to cut it to 52-41. Stewart then followed with a three pointer. Dunn and Lanford both made tough baskets to cut the Tiger lead down to 52-48. Harvey, ended the 9-0 run with a three pointer to make it 55-48. Dunn, made another layup as he’d cut it to 55-50. Dawson then had trouble making their free throws.
Owen Walls, made one free throw, and that gave the Dragons a chance. Dunn and Hampton made back to back layups to cut the Tiger lead down to 56-54. After Reed split a pair of free throws, the Dragons drew up a play for a potential game tying three. The three point attempt was no good, and Reed would make a pair of free throws to seal the win for Dawson, 59-54.
Leading scorers for the Dragons:
Camden Dunn: 14 points
Kadyn Hampton: 12 points
Caleb Lanford: 8 points
Isaiah Williams: 7 points
Jaden Stewart: 6 points
McCord Purdy: 3 points
Seth Cronic: 2 points
Parker Davis: 2 points
The Dragons, will now look to bounce back as they will go back on the road on Tuesday, January 31st as they take on the Lumpkin Indians. Pickens, defeated the Indians earlier in the season in Jasper and will look to earn the season sweep and stay within the top four in the standings. Tip off set for 7:30.
Dragons baseball defeats Dawson in home opener
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports February 17, 2022
Jasper, Ga — On Wednesday, February 16th the Pickens Dragons baseball team hosted the Dawson Tigers for their 2022 home opener. These two teams played on Tuesday, February 15th in Dawsonville, with the Dragons coming away with a 12-7 win. This game, was originally scheduled for Thursday, but with the weather coming in, they moved the game up to Wednesday. It was a tightly played ball game at Dunn Field as the home team came away with the win, 6-5.
In the top of the first inning, Dragons starter Trey Payne was able to work around a hit and a walk while also striking out two batters to send us to the bottom of the inning scoreless. Sophomore Georgia Tech Baseball commit Connor Shouse, got things going early for the Dragons in the bottom of the first with a single. He then advanced to second after a passed ball. Trace Ledbetter brought him in with an RBI double to deep right field to give Pickens the 1-0 lead going to the top of the second.
In the second inning, Trey Payne again worked around a little trouble as he kept the Tigers scoreless and sent us to the bottom of the second. Pickens, threatened to add to their lead in the bottom of the frame with runners at second and third, but Dawson was able to escape the danger and send us to the top of the third.
In the top of the third, the Tigers broke through and plated two runs with some timely hits to take the lead for the first time, 2-1. The lead would not last long however as the Dragons fired back in the bottom of the third. Ledbetter got on with a 1-out single, then Anthony Antinozzi drew a walk, then Harlan Will got hit by a pitch, then Tyler Payne drove in Ledbetter and Antinozzi with a 2 RBI double to make it 3-2 Pickens going to the top of the fourth.
The Tigers, tried to answer back in the top of the fourth, but the Dragons were able to keep them at bay. In the bottom of the inning, Pickens extended it’s lead as Colby Brooks started the half inning with a single, Shouse drew a walk, followed by Ledbetter also drawing a walk. Will then reached on an error with 2 outs to bring in Brooks. A walk drawn by Tyler Payne brought in Shouse to make it 5-2 Dragons going to the top of the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, the Tigers inched a little closer as they plated a run to make it 5-3. The Dragons went down in order in the bottom of the fifth inning to send us to the top of the sixth with Pickens still leading Dawson, 5-3.
In the top of the sixth, the Tigers took advantage of a couple of miscues and some clutch hitting to score two runs and tie the game up a 5 a piece. Speaking of clutch, in the bottom of the sixth, the Dragons offense definitely was. Shouse led off by drawing a walk on a full count. Ledbetter got on with a single. After Antinozzi laid down a nice sacrifice bunt to move the runners over the second and third, Will was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. Tyler Payne, was able to bring Shouse in after he hit a grounder to the right side of the infield to give the Dragons a 6-5 lead going to the top of the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, Shouse, who came on in relief of Tate Hales in the top of the sixth, shut the Tigers down by striking out the side and preserving the 2-0 win for Pickens.
Stats For The Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1-2 with a single, 2 walks, & 3 runs scored
Trace Ledbetter: 3-4 with a double, 2 singles, 1 RBI, & 1 run scored
Anthony Antinozzi: 1 walk, 1 sacrifice bunt, & 1 run scored
Harlan Will: 1 hit by pitch & 1 walk
Tyler Payne: 1-3 with 1 double, 1 walk, & 3 RBI
Trey Payne: 1-3 with a single
Colby Brooks: 1-3 with a single & 1 run scored
The Dragons, now move to 2-0 early on in the 2022 season after the home and home sweep of the Dawson Tigers. Next year, that match up will be a region match up. Speaking of games that will be region games next year, the Gilmer Bobcats will come to Jasper on Thursday, February 24th as they renew their rivalry on the diamond. First pitch set for 5 pm.
Dragons fall in non-region road game in Dawson
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports January 24, 2021
Dawsonville, Ga — The Pickens Dragons, had a busy week this week logging several miles traveling to games. First up, was a road game within 7-AAAA against the the Ridgeland Panthers. The Dragons picked up a big 73-52 win in that one. Then on Friday, Pickens traveled to Northwest Whitfield to take on the Bruins. The Dragons fell in a tough game there, 75-66. The Dragons were right back at it on Saturday as they traveled to Dawsonville to take on the Dawson Tigers in their second match up of the season. The Tigers took the first meeting in Jasper and the Dragons were looking to return the favor on Saturday afternoon.
The first quarter saw the Tigers jump out to a quick lead. The Dragons, got things going a bit in the later stages of the quarter, but Dawson would take a 23-12 lead into the second.
Owen Moss with the basketball
The second quarter saw a good back and forth, up and down scoring frame. The offense really evened out as Dawson barely outscored Pickens, 15-12. At the halfway point, the Tigers led the Dragons 38-24.
The Tigers with the ball on offense
The third quarter saw the Dragons try to make a similar comeback attempt that the Nettes did in the previous game. Pickens, outscored Dawson 19-15 in the third. Every time the Dragons would trim some of the lead away, Dawson would find a way to score as the Tigers took a 58-43 lead into the fourth.
Will Roland passing to Luke Rogers
In the fourth and final quarter of play, both the Tigers and Dragons saw the ball go in their respective baskets multiple times as a combined 41 points were scored between the two teams. Dawson outscored Pickens 22-19 in the frame to get the win, 80-62.
Pickens, will be back on the road on Tuesday as they head to Murray County to take on the North Murray Mountaineers in a non-region ball game. Tip off set for 7:30 pm.
Dragons fall to Dawson in non-region action
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports January 9, 2021
Jasper, Ga — On Friday, January 8th, the Pickens Dragons went down to Polk County and defeated a scrappy Cedartown Bulldog team 54-41. Fast forward not even 24 hours later on January 9th, the Dragons were home welcoming the Dawson County Tigers to the Dragons Den. Pickens came into the game with an overall record of 7-4, while Dawson came in with a 9-5 record after defeating Cherokee Bluff in a region game on the 8th. Using a big first half, the Tigers came away with a 65-45 win over the Dragons.
The Tigers started off the game with a 4-0 run getting buckets from Jaden Gibson and Jake Craft. Noah Sutton got the Dragons on the board with a bucket and a foul. The free throw attempt was no good, and Dawson held an early 4-2 lead. Dawson then went on an 8-0 run, powered by a pair of three’s from Craft and a bucket by Max Tierney to make it 12-2 Tigers. The Dragons outscored Dawson 10-8 for the rest of the first quarter as the Tigers led, 20-12.
Dragons with the ball early on
The second quarter, was not kind to the home side. After Owen Moss cut the Dawson lead to 10 with a bucket, the Tigers went on a 12-0 run. Five different Tigers scored during the run for Dawson. Kadyn Hampton stopped the run with a bucket for the Dragons to make it 32-12. The Tigers ended went on a 7-0 run to make it 39-12 as we hit halftime.
Dawson driving into the lane
The third quarter started with Dawson going on a 6-0 run to make it 45-12. Luke Rogers put an end to the run with the Dragons first bucket of the 2nd half. Pickens, outscored the Tigers 12-7 the rest of the way in the third having found some consistent offense in the frame. Dawson took a 52-26 lead into the fourth.
Luke Rogers with the ball
The fourth quarter saw the Dragons have their best offensive output in the game by scoring 19 points. Pickens played better in the second half outscoring Dawson 33-26. The Tigers used their 59 point first half to get their 10th win of the season, 65-45.
Tigers leading scorers:
Jake Craft: 22 points
Joakeim Celestin: 12 points
Ty Whitmire: 7 points
Tyler Lane: 6 points
Dragons leading scorers:
Tucker Lowe: 14 points
Luke Rogers: 7 points
Kadyn Hampton: 6 points
Owen Moss: 6 points
Noah Sutton: 6 points
For the Tigers, they move to 10-5 on the season. They are 3-1 in region 7-AAA play. They will be back home on Tuesday as they host the West Hall Spartans in a region match up. Tip off set for 7:30. As for the Dragons, they are now 7-5 overall on the season. They sit in 2nd place in 7-AAAA with a 4-1 record. They will also get back to region play on Tuesday as they host the Central-Carroll Lions. Tip off for that game also set for 7:30 pm.