Dragons 4th quarter comeback attempt falls just short against Dawson

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

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 earn region win on Senior Night

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — It was time for the boys game on Tuesday, January 17th between the Pickens Dragons and the West Hall Spartans. Much like the Nettes, the Dragons had gone through a tough stretch losing to Northwest Whitfield, close 1-point games to Sonoraville and White County, and then to Wesleyan. The Dragons, turned things around in the second quarter and never looked back as they picked a big 70-55 win over the Spartans.

 

In the first quarter, the Spartans got things going with a layup by Quintavous Reid to make it 2-0. Camden Dunn tied it up as he made a cut to the basket for the lay in. Isaiah Holder and Andrew Malin both hit a pair of free throws to give West Hall a 6-2 lead. Dunn picked up his second basket of the game to cut it to 6-4. Zach Stephens, extended the Spartan lead back to four with a bucket to make it 8-4. After Caleb Keith split a pair of free throws to cut it to 8-5, the two teams traded three point makes to give West Hall an 11-8 lead going to the second.

Dragons on offense against the Spartans

 

Stephens, hit a pair of free throws to begin the scoring in the second quarter to give the Spartans a 13-8 lead. Senior Jaden Stewart, picked up his first points of the game as he hit a three pointer to make it 13-11. After West Hall got a bucket from Owen Jenkins, and a pair of free throws from Malin, the Dragons went on a 7-0 run sparked by a basket by Stewart, and 5 straight points from James Tilley to give the Dragons their first lead at 18-17. That first lead was short lived as the Spartans got back to back three pointers from Ethan Clifford and Ian Pardue to make it 23-18.

The Dragons responded with a three pointer from Caleb Lanford, a bucket by Stewart, and another three by Tilley to give Pickens a 26-23 lead. A basket by Holder to cut it to one, Dodge Davis, went on a 4-0 run to close out the first half to give the Dragons a 30-25 lead going into the break.

Dragons on defense in the second quarter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To begin the second half, the Dragons went on a 7-0 run. Lanford, got the scoring started with a three, McCord Purdy, made a layup, then Senior Kadyn Hampton, picked up his first points with a bucket to make it 37-25. Malin, ended the run with a basket to make it 37-27 Pickens. Later on in the third, with the Dragons up 43-33, Lanford and Tilley teamed up to hit back to back three pointers to close out the quarter to make it 49-33 Pickens going to the fourth.

Dragons talking it over in the third

 

The Spartans, went on a 5-0 run to to begin the fourth quarter to make it 49-38. Hampton, ended the run with a bucket to make it 51-38. The two teams then traded baskets with the lead getting as high as 18 for the Dragons. Pickens, picked up a big win in terms of the region standings as they defeat the West Hall Spartans, 70-55.

 

Leading Scorers For The Dragons:

Caleb Lanford: 15 points

Camden Dunn: 14 points

Jaden Stewart: 11 points

James Tilley: 11 points

Kadyn Hampton: 6 points

Dodge Davis: 4 points

McCord Purdy: 4 points

Seth Cronic: 2 points

Parker Davis: 2 points

Caleb Keith: 1 point

 

The Dragons, head back on the road on Friday, January 20th as they make the short drive up to Ellijay to take on the Gilmer Bobcats. The in season series is tied at one a piece, with this last game being the most important. Pickens sits just ahead of Gilmer in the region standings. It should be an action packed game as are the majority of these games. Tip off set for 8:30.

Dragons hold off Savannah Christian to pick up win

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — On Thursday, December 29th, the Pickens Dragons took on the Savannah Christian Raiders on day two of the Pickens Holiday Tournament. On Wednesday, the Raiders were defeated by the Sonoraville Phoenix, while the Dragons held on to defeat the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes. In earlier action on Thursday, Lassiter defeated Sonoraville, and Cartersville defeated the Gilmer Bobcats. Much like Wednesday night, Pickens held off a late rally by the Raiders to pick up a 52-46 win.

 

After a slow start to begin the game for both teams, Caleb Lanford got the scoring started as he put the Dragons up with a three pointer. That started what ended up being an 11-0 run as McCord Purdy hit a three and a layup, and Lanford hit another three to make it 11-0. Jamari McIvory got the Raiders on the board with a bucket to make it 11-2. James Tilley, then went on a 5-0 self run with a bucket and a three pointer to make it 16-2. Blake Hall, ended that run with a three pointer to make it 16-5. After another three by Tilley, Savannah Christian, ended the first quarter with a 4-0 run as Logan Lee and Hall made two baskets to make it 19-9 Pickens going to the second.

McCord Purdy looking to pass the ball

 

To begin the second quarter, Seth Cronic added to the Dragons lead with a layup to make it 21-9. The Raiders, went on another 4-0 run as Braden Bindenagel and Hall both made buckets to cut the Pickens lead down to 21-13. The Dragons, countered that as Tilley went on a 4-0 run to stretch the lead out to 25-13. Much like the first quarter, Savannah Christian ended the second quarter on a run as their 8-0 run to close the first half cut the Dragons lead down to 25-21.

Dragons looking to defend the Raiders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lanford, got things going in the second half with a three pointer to extend the Pickens lead out to 28-21. After the Raiders cut the lead down to three with a bucket and two free throws, Purdy pushed the lead up to six with a three pointer. Dalton Bunch, cut it back to four with a bucket, Purdy hit another three to make it 34-27. The Dragons would hit another three to stretch the lead out to 37-27. Savannah Christian, would not go away as they went on a 7-0 run to cut the Pickens lead down back to 37-34. Nathan Wallace, hit a big corner three to close out the quarter and give the Dragons a 40-34 lead going to the fourth.

Dragons with the ball early in the third

 

The Raiders, started the scoring in the fourth quarter with a bucket by McIvory to make it 40-36. Dodge Davis and Caleb Keith would combine to make three free throws to make it 43-36. Wallace, then split a pair of free throws to make it 44-36. After another bucket by McIvory, Lanford went on a 4-0 run to make it 48-38 Pickens. Much like they’ve done throughout the entire game, the Raiders would mount a comeback. Savannah Christian, went on an 8-0 run to cut the Dragons lead down to 48-46. From then on it would become a free throw game as Keith made a pair, and then Lanford and Keith split a pair to give Pickens the 52-46 win.

 

Leading scorers for the Dragons:

James Tilley: 15 points

Caleb Lanford: 14 points

McCord Purdy: 11 points

Caleb Keith: 5 points

Nathan Wallace: 4 points

Seth Cronic: 2 points

Dodge Davis: 1 point

 

The Dragons, will be back in action again for the final time in 2022 as they take on the Lassiter Trojans on Friday, December 30th. Both teams have won their first two games of this round robin tournament and will look to cap off 2022 with a win. Tip off is set for 7 pm.

Dragons defeat Lumpkin to earn second region win

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — After the battle that happened between two excellent girls teams, it was the boys turn to take the court as the Pickens Dragons hosted the Lumpkin Indians on Friday, December 16th. On Tuesday, December 13th, Pickens fell in tough fashion to the Dawson Tigers. The Indians, lost a home region game to Gilmer. Lumpkin, came in looking to snap a three game losing streak and also pick up their first region win. The Dragons, came in looking to stay near the top of the region with a win. Pickens, used a good team effort to pick up the 65-48 win.

 

To begin the first quarter, the Dragons picked up an early foul that sent Cal Faulkner to the line. Faulkner, made both free throws to give Lumpkin a 2-0 lead. Camden Dunn, tied it up with a layup. Clayton Woodham, split a pair of free throws to give the Indians a 3-2 lead. Pickens, then went on a 5-0 run as James Tilley hit a three and Dunn made a basket to give the  Dragons a 7-3 lead. A broken play paid off for Lumpkin as Cooper Scott got a wide open layup to cut the Pickens lead to 7-5. Pickens, then went on a 6-0 run as Tilley hit his second three of the quarter and Caleb Lanford hit his first three to make it 13-5.

Faulkner, picked up his first field goal of the game with a bucket to make it 13-7. McCord Purdy, answered with his first field goal to make it 15-7. Stephen Sherrill, made his first basket of the game to make it 15-9 Pickens after one quarter of play.

Dragons defending the Indians

After many fouls calls on both teams, Faulkner got the first points of the second quarter as he split a pair of free throws to make it 15-10. Isaiah Williams, got his first points of the ball game as he split free throw attempts to bring the Pickens lead to 16-10. After a Faulkner layup, The Dragons went on another 6-0 run as both Williams and Purdy hit a pair of threes. Woodham, stopped the run with a basket to make it 22-14 Dragons. Purdy, then went on a 5-0 run by himself to stretch the Pickens lead to 27-14. A bucket by Jack Carroll made it 27-16. Williams and Faulkner both split a pair of free throws to make it 28-17.

Faulkner followed it up with a basket to make it 28-19. Caleb Keith, got the final points of the first half and the Dragons took a 30-19 lead into the break.

Dragons with the ball

To begin the third quarter, Hunter Cooper and Faulkner split a pair of free throws to cut the Pickens lead to 30-21. Lanford, made it an 11 point game with a bucket and the Dragons now led, 32-21. As both teams kept trading baskets, Pickens maintained its moderate lead. Lumpkin, would cut it down to 7 at one point, but a 5-0 run by Tilley to close the quarter made it 44-32 Dragons.

 

Faulkner, began the fourth with a bucket to make it a 10 point game. Lanford and Williams, then combined for a 4-0 run to make it 48-34. The lead, would not get any lower than 11 during the fourth quarter as the Dragons kept the Indians at bay. Final score from Jasper, Pickens 65 Lumpkin 48.

 

Leading scorers for Pickens:

James Tilley: 14 points

Isaiah Williams: 13 points (10 rebounds)

Caleb Lanford: 13 points

McCord Purdy: 13 points

Caleb Keith: 6 points

Camden Dunn: 4 points

Seth Cronic: 2 points

 

The Dragons, will be back in action on Tuesday as they take part in a similar tournament that they took part in last season. The tournament, features North Murray, Southeast Whitfield, and Murray County. The tournament will take place from December 20th, 22nd, and 23rd. First up for Pickens, North Murray on Tuesday. Tip off is set for 8:30.

Dragons begin 2022-23 season with win over Fannin

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Ellijay, Ga — After the Nettes picked up their second win on the early season, the Pickens Dragons looked to open their season with a win of their own as they took on the Fannin Rebels on the first day of the annual Thanksgiving Tournament on Saturday, November 19th. The Dragons, did not have a scrimmage game while the Rebels did. The Rebels, won their scrimmage game earlier in the week after a nice come back. After a big shooting night for the Dragons, who were led by Caleb Lanford, who had 33, Pickens came away with an 84-53 victory.

 

The Dragons got on the board early with a corner three by Lanford to make it 3-0. The Rebels beat the press shown by Pickens and Luke Davenport hit a mid range jumper to make it 3-2. Nice passing by the Dragons led to an open three point attempt by Lanford and he connected to make it 6-2. The three pointers were flying early and often for Pickens in the first quarter as James Tilley made his first attempt to make it 9-2 Dragons. After a foul on the floor by Pickens, Fannin ran an inbounds play to perfection as Ben Bloch was cutting wide open underneath the basket for the layup. That made it 9-4. The Rebels, then went 1-2 from the line to cut the lead to 9-5.

Lanford, then hit his third three in the first quarter to push the lead to 12-5. After beating the press again, Jordan Richardson drove into the lane and connected on a floater to make it 12-7. Bloch, went to the line for three shots after being fouled on a three point attempt. Bloch would go 2-3 to cut the Dragons lead down to 12-9. On their next possession, Lanford used a good pump fake move to set up an open mid range shot. Lanford made that bucket to make it 14-9. Lucas Hanson would get fouled and make a pair of free throws to cut the Pickens lead to 14-11.

On the next Dragons possession, there went that man again as Lanford hit his fourth three of the quarter. Fresh off the football field, Isaiah Williams picked up a block on the defensive end, then grabbed an offensive rebound on the other end leading to a foul. Williams would go 1-2 from the line to make it 18-11. After the Rebels beat the press, Cole Gribble got a layup to go to make it 18-13. After a steal by Mccord Purdy, Purdy found that man again and Lanford hit his fifth three of the quarter to make it 21-13. On the next Pickens possession, Camden Dunn made a great pass to a cutting Jaden Stewart to make it 23-13. Stewart then got an offensive rebound and made the put back to give the Dragons a 25-13 lead after one.

 

After Pickens forced a turnover to begin the second quarter, Lanford knocked down his sixth three pointer of the first half to make it 28-13. Stewart then stole the ball at mid-court and took it the distance for the layup to make it 30-13. Gribble, got the Rebels on the board with a mid-range shot to make it 30-15. Richardson, then connected on another floater to make it 30-17. Fannin then got a steal and Bryson Wright finished it off with a layup to make it 30-19. The run for the Rebels continued as Bloch drove into the lane for the layup to cut the Dragons lead down to 30-21. A turnover by Pickens led to another layup by Bloch to make it 30-23.

The Dragons, finally ended the 10-0 run by Fannin after Stewart made a great lob pass to Williams, who made the layup to make it 32-23. Bloch, finding himself in trouble under the basket, passed it out to Wright who connected on the three to make it 32-26. Nathan Wallace, did a great job of following his shot as he gathered his own rebound and made the layup to make it 34-26. Bloch, then went 1-2 from the line to make it 34-27. Dunn, made a nice move on the baseline and finished with a reverse layup to make it 36-27. Lanford, then drove then lane and got fouled. He would go 1-2 from the line to make it 37-27. Bloch, using his quickness, got to the lane for two to make it 37-29.

Hanson, used a pump fake to drive the baseline for a layup to make it 37-31. Wallace, finished the bucket through contact and made the and-1 to stretch the Dragon lead out to 40-31. After a turnover, Dunn found Lanford cutting to the basket and he made the hook shot. Lanford got fouled on the shot and he made the and-1 to make it 43-31. At the half, Pickens led Fannin by a score of 43-31.

 

Lanford, kept his hot shooting from the first half going into the second half as he opened the third quarter with his seventh three pointer of the game to make it 46-31. After a turnover by the Rebels, the Dragons took advantage as Dunn found Seth Cronic under the basket for his first points of the ball game to make it 48-31. Fannin, was able to end the mini run with a floater by Bloch to make it 48-33. Dunn, had a nice series of plays as he had a block on defense, drove down the court and got fouled. Dunn would go 1-2 from the line to make it 49-33. Wright, did a nice job of following his shot as he missed the reverse layup, got the rebound, then made the layup to make it 49-35.

Bloch, fought for and got a pair of offensive rebounds, and then got fouled. He went 1-2 from the line to make it 49-36. Bloch again made some nice moves to make the layup and cut the Pickens lead down to 49-38. Wright then drove into the lane and made the layup against contact. He completed the and-1 to make it 49-41. The Dragons, needing a bucket, got one as Tilley hit his second three of the game to make it 52-41. A steal by Pickens led to a put back bucket by Dunn to make it 54-41. On the other end, Gribble got a bucket to make it 54-43.

Late in the shot clock, Dunn drove into the lane, made the layup, and got fouled. Dunn would miss the free throw, but hustled down the court to gather the rebound and threw the lead pass to Tilley, who finished the play with the layup. Wright, made another nice drive to the basket and finished the layup to make it 58-45. Just before the third quarter buzzer, Tilley made a tough layup to make it 60-45 Dragons going to the fourth.

 

To start the fourth, Lanford made a tough turnaround jumper to make it 62-45. A steal by Lanford led to another three by Tilley. His third of the game made it 65-45 Pickens. A great inbounds play by the Dragons led Stewart to finding Lanford under the basket to make it 67-45. Another steal by the Dragons led to a fourth three pointer by Tilley to make it 70-45. Bloch, ended the Pickens 10-0 run to begin the fourth as he drove in for the layup to make it 70-47. Lanford did a good job of getting the rebound off of Stewart’s miss and got the put back to make it 72-47.

A nice look by Stewart led to a bucket by Dunn. Dunn completed the and-1 and that made it 75-47. After a steal by Williams, he found Lanford on the outlet pass, who then found Purdy for the three to make it 78-47. Parker Davis, had a nice pump fake move that led to a floater for the Sophomore to make it 80-47. A nice pass led to a nice inside basket from Isaiah Angel to make it 80-49. Parker Davis, again made some nice moves on his way to the basket as he made his second bucket to make it 82-49. After the Rebels went 1-2 from the line, they collected the rebound and Hanson made a three to make it 82-53.

Just before the end of the game, Dodge Davis, grabbed his own rebound and made the put back to give us a final score of 84-53 in favor of the Dragons.

 

On Monday, these two teams will be back in Ellijay for the second day of the Thanksgiving Tournament. Pickens, will take on the Copper Basin Cougars at 4:30, and Fannin will take on the hosting Gilmer Bobcats at 7:30.

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