Ava Owens
Courtesy photo
PICKENS — The Pickens High School girls’ basketball team lost two region contests last week, to Number-One-ranked Westside of Anderson and also to Walhalla.
“The past week of basketball for us has been a classic example of what sports is all about,” said Rikki Owens, Lady Blue Flame basketball coach. “We suffered two losses and now have to develop the mental grit to get back out there and find a way to win. Westside is a state-championship level program, and we found ways to do good things against them. We saw that we can do hard things against good teams. Walhalla was a tough loss, but I know the women that we have in this program, and I’m looking forward to the energy and focus they will bring this week to get us back on track and winning games.”
The Lady Blue Flame are now 8-7 overall, 1-3 in Region 1A.
The game against the Lady Rams of Westside, in the friendly confines of Coach Peggy Harden Anthony Gymnasium on the Pickens High campus, was played Jan. 25, with Pickens coming out on the short end of a 66-40 score. The 16-0 Lady Rams won the state 4A championship in 2021 and seemed poised to repeat. In the Westside game, eighth-grade guard Ava Owens had 19 points and eight rebounds, while freshman forward Sadie McKinney scored seven points.
The Lady Blue Flame played the Walhalla Lady Razorbacks Jan. 28, also at home, losing 45-40. In that contest, Owens scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds, while McKinney had six points and nine rebounds.
The Pickens’ girls play two region games this week, both away. The Lady Blue Flame face off against Travelers Rest on Thursday evening, and then travel to Easley for a rematch Friday night with their cross-county rivals, the Lady Green Wave.