The Pickens Blue Flame put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They strolled past Walhalla with points to spare, taking the game 51-32. Given Pickens' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while Walhalla is ranked 45th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pickens found their leader in underclassman Ava Owens, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which Owens has scored at least 25% of Pickens' points. The team also got some help courtesy of Maggie Chambers, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.
Several Razorbacks players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Gianna Ortiz-Viera, who scored five points along with nine rebounds and three blocks. Those three blocks set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Annie Campbell, who scored nine points.
Pickens' win bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Walhalla, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.
Pickens will head out on the road to face off against St. Joseph's Catholic at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully St. Joseph's Catholic focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 on Monday. As for Walhalla, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Southside Christian at 6:00 p.m.
