Abby Musslewhite
Courtesy photo
PICKENS — The Pickens High School Lady Blue Flame girls’ basketball team defeated region foe Travelers Rest last week but lost to cross-county and region rival Easley.
“This was another big learning week for us,” said Rikki Owens, Lady Blue Flame basketball coach. “We saw the grit developed from losing close games help us to pull ahead and win against Travelers Rest. We underperformed against Easley, but every loss is a learning experience and helps us to develop mental toughness. We’ll need that mental toughness as we finish out the regular season this week.”
The Lady Blue Flame are now 9-8 overall, 2-4 in Region 1A.
The game against the Lady Devildogs of Travelers Rest, played Feb. 3 in Greenville County, ended with the Lady Blue Flame on top at 48-38. Eighth-grade guard Ava Owens scored 18 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and grabbed six steals. Freshman forward Sadie McKinney and junior guard Macie Gentry each had eight points, while junior guard Abby Musslewhite and senior forward Caroline Lucas added six points apiece. Lucas also had seven rebounds on the night..
During the Easley contest, played Feb. 4 at Easley, Owens scored seven points and had 11 steals and eight rebounds. Lucas scored six points and pulled down 11 rebounds. The Lady Blue Flame lost that contest by a 40-19 margin.
The Pickens’ girls play their final regular-season region games this week, one at home and one away. The Lady Blue Flame face off against Travelers Rest on Tuesday evening, which is Senior Night, in the friendly confines of Coach Peggy Harden Anthony Gymnasium. They will then travel to Westside of Anderson Thursday to face the Lady Rams, who are undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state in 4A.