PA Girls Earn Third Place in Southern Tournament

BY BRIAN HAMILTON, Sports Correspondent

The Pickens Academy Lady Pirates took third place in the annual Southern Christmas tournament in Greensboro last weekend after falling to Southern Academy 36-35 in the opening game. PA wrapped up the tournament on Saturday morning with a 34-18 win over Patrician Academy.

“From the first game to this game, its only been three games, but I feel like we’ve gotten better every game,” Pickens Academy head coach Wade Goodman said. “Some of the girls are starting to get more confident with their shot.”

The Lady Pirates got off to a good start defensively and never trailed in the contest. Caroline Lewis put Pickens Academy on the board first and neither team would score another basket until Audrey Fondren hit a layup with 3:15 left in the first quarter to make the score 4-0.

After Patrician cut the lead to 4-2, Jessi Latham snagged a rebound and made the put-back to give PA a 6-2 lead. The Lady Pirates would lead 8-2 at the end of the first quarter. PA would hold Patrician scoreless throughout the second quarter until the Saints hit a jump shot with 15 seconds remaining in the first half. The Lady Pirates took an 18-4 lead into halftime thanks to a stifling press.