The Pickens Blue Flame put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They snuck past Walhalla with a 51-45 victory. Given Pickens' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while Walhalla is ranked 45th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ava Owens continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 24 points and ten rebounds. Those 24 points set a new season-high mark for her. Maggie Chambers was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with nine rebounds and three steals.
Despite the loss, Walhalla still got an impressive performance from Ashlyn Frick, who scored 16 points. Those 16 points set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Marnie Baxter, who scored 14 points along with three steals.
Walhalla struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Pickens' win was their 15th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.5 points per game. As for Walhalla, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pickens will face off against Liberty at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Liberty is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak. As for Walhalla, they will head out on the road to face off against Easley at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Easley focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 on Tuesday.
