Nettes earn sweep of Lady Tigers after defensive battle
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports January 27, 2023
Jasper, Ga — The Pickens Dragonettes, followed up a tough week with a really good week having beaten West Hall on Senior Night on Tuesday, January 17th, and sweeping the season series against Gilmer in Ellijay on Friday, January 20th. On Thursday, January 26th, the Nettes welcomed the Dawson Lady Tigers to Roy Cowart Court. In a very hard fought game, Pickens came away with a big region win over Dawson, 46-37.
The Nettes got the scoring started in the first quarter with a pair of free throws from Emma Gleason to make it 2-0. After a bit of back and forth from both teams, the Lady Tigers grabbed their first lead of the game with a three pointer by Kindra Coker and a layup by Morgan Chester to make it 5-2. Madison Powell got the first points of the game from the field for Pickens as she tied the game up with a three. Caroline Mullins, then split a pair of free throws to give the Nettes a 6-5 lead.
Dawson, then went on a 4-0 run as Chester and Morgan Burt made back to back layups to make it 9-6 Lady Tigers. Ellison Steinhauer, split a pair of free throws to make it 9-7. Dawson, then went on another run as Kirklyn Porter made a pair of free throws, and the Eva Bishop made back to back shots to make it 15-7. A bucket by Mullins would make it 15-9 Lady Tigers going to the second quarter.

Nettes with the ball in the first quarter
The second quarter, belonged to the Nettes. The quarter started off with a 4-0 run by Ellison Steinhauer to cut the Dawson lead down to 15-13. The Lady Tigers got two points back with a pair of free throws by Anna Ayers to make it 17-13. That would be the only points Dawson would score in the quarter as Pickens held them scoreless from the field during the frame. After the free throws, the Nettes went on a 10-0 run getting back to back layups from Gleason, a free throw make from Steinhauer, a three pointer and layup from Mullins to make it 23-17 Pickens going into the half.

Nettes allowed zero field goals in the second quarter
Chester opened the scoring in the second half as she made a layup to cut the Nettes lead to 23-19. Pickens, responded with a 6-0 run as Mullins, Emory Bryant, and Bella Hopkins each made baskets to extend the Nettes lead out to 29-19. Chester, ended the run with another layup to make it 29-21 Pickens as we’d head to the fourth quarter with the Nettes up by that same score.

Nettes with the ball early on in the 2nd half
To begin the fourth quarter, both teams traded buckets as Bishop scored for Dawson, Bryant scored for the Nettes, than Chester scored for the Lady Tigers making it 31-25 Pickens. As the quarter went on, both teams kept answering each other as they traded baskets. The Nettes, kept the lead at a distance and were able to pull out a 46-37 win over Dawson to get the in season sweep.
Leading Scorers for the Nettes:
Ellison Steinhauer: 15 points
Caroline Mullins: 12 points
Emma Gleason: 6 points
Bella Hopkins: 6 points
Emory Bryant: 4 points
Madison Powell: 3 points
The Nettes, will be back in action on Saturday, January 28th as they host the East Jackson Eagles in non-region action. It’ll be a special game as the game is being played at the Pickens Junior High gym Tip off is set for 3 pm.
Nettes pick up region win on Senior Night
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports January 18, 2023
Jasper, Ga — It was a rough week for the Pickens Dragonettes last week as they dropped three straight road games against Sonoraville, White County, and Wesleyan. On Tuesday, January 17th, they were back at home as they welcomed the West Hall Lady Spartans to Roy Cowart Court for a 7-AAA match up. It was also a reason to celebrate because it was also Senior Night. All three seniors had big nights as the Nettes got back on the winning track defeating the Lady Spartans 65-9.
The Nettes got off to a quick start in the first quarter as Senior Madison Powell began the scoring with a layup. Bella Hopkins then hit a three pointer, and Caroline Mullins made a pair of free throws to make it 7-0. Powell, got her second bucket of the quarter to make it 9-0 Nettes. After a bucket by Summer Orlick to put West Hall on the board, Pickens went on a 6-0 run getting baskets from Mullins and Hopkins to make it 15-2 going to the second.

Nettes on offense in the first quarter
The second quarter began with the Nettes continuing their run they ended the first quarter with as Mullins hit a pair of free throws, Hopkins, Emery Bryant, and Senior Adrienne Plumley all made buckets as all together it was a 14-0 run to make it 23-2. After Orlick got a crazy shot to fall, she converted the and-1 attempt to end the run and make it 23-5. Pickens, went on another 6-0 run as Plumley, Hopkins, and Brylee Deering made baskets to make it 29-5. Just before the end of the half, Xitlally Villeda split a pair of free throws to make it 29-6 Nettes going into the break.

Nettes played tough defense all game
To start the second half, Pickens went on a big run. The run started with Plumley who got her 5th and 6th point of the game. Then the Nettes would hit 4 straight three pointers as Emmie Moore, Mullins, and Emery Steinhauer, who hit two back to back. Emery’s sister Ellison, decided she wanted to get in on the act and she made a bucket for her first points of the game to make it 45-6. Cayla Radich, ended the Pickens run with a basket to make it 45-8. Pickens, got two free throws to end the third and it was 47-8 Nettes going to the fourth.

Nettes with the ball in the second half
A free throw by Mullins and a bucket by Emory Bryant got the fourth quarter started for Pickens as they went up, 50-8. After Orlick split a pair of free throws to make it 50-9, the rest of the shortened fourth quarter became the Madison Powell and Emma Gleason show. Senior Emma Gleason, got her first points of the game with a layup. Powell followed up with a bucket and a three pointer. Gleason, then scored the last six points of the game as the Nettes got back to their winning ways defeating the West Hall Lady Spartans, 65-9.
Leading Scorers for the Nettes:
Caroline Mullins: 14 points
Emma Gleason: 10 points
Bella Hopkins: 9 points
Madison Powell: 9 points
Adrienne Plumley: 6 points
Emery Steinhauer: 6 points
Emory Bryant: 4 points
Emmie Moore: 3 points
Ellison Steinhauer: 2 points
The Nettes, will be back in action on Friday as they head to Ellijay to take on the Gilmer Lady Cats in another 7-AAA game. Pickens, has already won the season series between their 515 rival, but will look to go for the sweep on the road. Tip off is set for 7 pm.
Nettes take down Lady Rebels in early season top 10 matchup
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports November 20, 2022
Ellijay, Ga — As the weather starts to cool, it means that we are getting into basketball season. On Saturday, November 19th, the annual Thanksgiving Tournament that features Copper Basin, Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens, began. This year, it is being played in the newly redesigned gym known as “The Cage” on the campus of Gilmer High School. The first game of the tournament featured a pair of top ten teams going at it as the #6 team in 3A the Pickens Dragonettes, took on the #4 team in 2A, the Fannin Lady Rebels.
For the Nettes, it was their second game on the young season as they defeated Cherokee Bluff 71-25 on November the 12th to open the season. For the Lady Rebels, it was their first “official” game of the 2022-23 season, but they did look impressive in their scrimmage earlier in the week. The Nettes, led throughout this one and came away with the 54-40 win.
In the first quarter, Pickens got on the board quickly as Emma Gleason made the layup after the feed from Caroline Mullins and converted on the and-1 to give the Nettes a quick 3-0 lead. Ava Queen got the Lady Rebels on the board with a layup of her own to make it 3-2. After a steal by Fannin, Reigan O’Neal went 1-2 from the free throw line to tie the game up at 3. The Nettes, would come up with a takeaway of their own and Emmie Moore would find Gleason under the bucket for two to make it 5-3. Madison Powell took the hand off from Gleason and made the layup to make it 7-3 Nettes. Highly touted Lady Rebel Courtney Davis got into the score book with a scoop layup to make it 7-5.
After a block by Bella Hopkins, Freshman Ellison Steinhauer took it down the floor and got fouled on the layup attempt. Steinhauer would go 2-2 from the line to make it 9-5 Nettes. O’Neal, would answer right back with a tough layup in traffic to make it 9-7. Hopkins got in on the scoring with a three to make it 12-7. Moore used a nice pump fake to drive into the lane for the layup. The free throw was good and that made it 15-7 Nettes. After a back and forth first quarter, Pickens led Fannin, 15-7.
Steinhauer got the scoring started in the second quarter with a nice drive to the bucket and gave the Nettes a 17-7 lead. Pickens added to the lead with a Hopkins three. Her second of the first half to make it 20-7. After a steal by Emory Bryant, Steinhauer connected on a three to make it 23-7 Nettes. A nice find by Steinhauer led to a made three by Moore to make it 26-7. Davis, put an end to the 11-0 scoring run by Pickens and gave Fannin its first points of the second quarter with a layup making it 26-9. After grabbing a rebound, Mullins threw a long outlet pass to Steinhauer who connected with her second three of the first half to make it 29-9. Queen came back on the other end and connected on her first three of the first half to make it 29-12. At the break, the Nettes would lead the Lady Rebels by a score of 29-12.
To begin the third quarter, Ellie Cook of the Lady Rebels gave Fannin the first points of the second half as she caught the deflected pass and made a nice reverse layup to make it 29-14. Mullins, got her first two points of the ball game as she answered on the other end with a nice spin and drive to the bucket to make it 31-14. Davis, then raced down the floor and made a layup as the two teams were now trading buckets. After the Nettes kept a possession alive with an offensive rebound by Gleason, Mullins was fouled driving to the basket. She made 1 of 2 to make it 32-16 Pickens.
Davis, using her speed, drove down the floor, went underneath the basket, and found Cook who connected on the three to make it 32-19. Mullins, was able to draw the foul on the next trip down the floor and make both free throws to give the Nettes a 34-19 advantage. Jayden Bailey, was able to grab the rebound and get the bucket. After a miss on the free throw attempt, the Lady Rebels were able to get the rebound and get another tough bucket. This time by Riley Reeves. She completed the and-1 and it was down to a 34-24 Pickens lead.
Steinhauer, setteled things down just a little as she went 2-2 from the line to make it 36-24. Davis, again using her speed, raced down the floor for the layup to once again make it a 10 point game. After a no call on one end, the Nettes were able to drive down the other end a connect on a three by Steinhauer. Her third of the game. O’Neal, was able to drive down the lane and went 2-2 on the free throw line. Mullins answered with a layup to make it 41-28. Reeves, would get fouled on the layup attempt and go 1-2 from the line to make it 41-29 Pickens going to the fourth.
Davis, got the scoring started in the fourth with a layup to make it 41-31. Mullins, then did one of the many things she excels at and that’s driving down the lane and getting contact on shot attempts. Mullins would go to the line and make both shots to make it 43-31. Hopkins then collected the rebound off the Reeves miss and drove it the length of the floor and made the layup to make it 45-31. After a steal by the Nettes, Mullins had a breakaway all alone and made the layup to stretch the lead out to 47-31. Gleason, after getting a steal, passed it ahead to Steinhauer. After missing her first attempt, Steinhauer grabbed her own rebound and got the put back.
On the next Nettes possession, Steinhauer again grabbed an offensive rebound, got the ball out to Gleason, who found an open Mullins in the corner for the three to make it 52-31. O’Neal then came back with a nice three of her own to make it 52-34. Pickens, had a nice play in-bounding the ball as Hopkins found a cutting Bryant for the layup to make it 54-34. Queen, came back on the other end and drove for a layup to make it 54-36. After a rebound by the Lady Rebels, Reeves drove to the basket and got the layup to make it 54-38. A nice pass down inside by O’Neal led to another layup by Queen to make it 54-40. The Nettes, were able to run out the rest of the clock and Pickens came away with a 54-40 win.
Both these teams will be back in action on Monday as the Nettes will take on the Copper Basin Lady Cougars at 3 pm. The Lady Rebels, will take on the hosting Gilmer Lady Cats at 6 pm.