Jasper, Ga — After the girls game, it was time for the Dragons and Bobcats to take the floor. The Dragons, were coming off of a 64-51 win over Southeast Whitfield on the road to run their win streak to 5 games in a row. The Bobcats, came into the game having won a tough back and forth game with West Hall on the road, 54-51. Gilmer, won the first two meetings of the season against Pickens by scores of 60-53, and 66-56. Pickens, got on the board with a 59-46 win last month. After much back and forth and very physical play from both sides, the Bobcats came away with a 53-46 win.

To open the ball game, the Bobcats got on the board first with a bucket to give themselves a 2-0 lead. Jaden Stewart answered for the Dragons with a three pointer to make it 3-2. After a bucket by Gilmer, Pickens went on a 5-0 run as Luke Rogers made a bucket and Collin Kellogg hit a three to make it 8-5. After a Bobcat bucket made it 8-7, the Dragons went on a 7-0 run with 5 of those 7 points coming from Kellogg to make it 15-7. Gilmer would then go 1 for 2 from the free throw line to make it 15-8. Marcus Pike hit a shot to give Pickens a 17-8 lead going to the second quarter.

Dragons on offense

Just like the first quarter, the second quarter began with a bucket by Cade Carter of the Bobcats. Caleb Keith quickly answered with a bucket of his own to make it 19-10 Dragons. After a pair of free throws from Gilmer, Rogers made a bucket to again keep the Pickens lead at 9. A free throw make and a bucket by the Bobcats cut the lead down to 21-15. A pair of free throws from Chanler Dunn made it 23-15 Dragons. Gilmer, would then close the first half on an 8-0 run to tie this game up at 23 heading to the break.

Dragons on defense in the second quarter

To start the second half, Gilmer again put the first points on the board as they hit a three pointer to make it 26-23. Caleb Bryant would then hit a pair of free throws and Rogers made a bucket to give the Dragons a 27-26 lead. After a bucket and an and-one conversion by the Bobcats, Rogers made another bucket to tie it up at 29. After a three pointer gave Gilmer the lead back, Rogers hit another shot to cut it to 32-31. An Ethan Banks bucket made it 34-31. Rogers, continued his scoring surge in the third as he again made another bucket to make it 34-33. A 4-0 run from the Bobcats to close out the third made it 38-33 going to the fourth.

Dragons with the ball in the second half

The scoring run from the third quarter carried over to the fourth quarter for Gilmer as they opened with a three pointer to make it 41-33. Keith then answered with a three to make it 41-36. After a bucket by the Bobcats, Kadyn Hampton made two free throws to make it 43-38. A Mark Tyson bucket made it 45-38. Hampton, got the hoop and the harm as he would complete the three point play to make it 45-41. After a free throw from Banks, Kellogg hit a three pointer to make it 46-44. From then on it would become a free throw game as the Bobcats scored 5 of their last 7 points from the charity stripe, while the Dragons could only manage a late Stewart bucket in the late stages of this one. The final in this one, 53-46 Gilmer.

Leading Scorers For Gilmer:

Ethan Banks: 17 points

Mark Tyson: 13 points

Lewis Mulkey: 6 points

Will Kiker: 6 points

Christian Somner: 6 points

Leading Scorers For Pickens:

Luke Rogers: 14 points

Collin Kellogg: 11 points

Jaden Stewart: 5 points

Caleb Keith: 5 points

Kadyn Hampton: 5 points

7-AAAA Boys Region Standings:

Central-Carroll: 11-5 (6-0)

Heritage: 8-7 (4-2)

Northwest Whitfield: 13-3 (3-3)

Cedartown: 5-8 (3-3)

Pickens: 9-10 (3-3)

Southeast Whitfield: 7-10 (2-4)

Ridgeland: 6-10 (0-6)

Weather permitting the Dragons will be back in action on Tuesday, January 18th as they host the Cedartown Bulldogs in a key 7-AAAA match up. As you can see from the standings above, both teams are tied for third in the region currently. Pickens holds a win over Northwest Whitfield, Northwest Whitfield holds a win over Cedartown, and Cedartown holds a win over Pickens. The Dragons will look to earn a season split with Cedartown after the Bulldogs survived after a late rally to beat Pickens 55-52 earlier this season. Tip off set for 7:30.