Purcell finding ways to win

Mojo Browning got off to a fast start knocking down a pair of treys in 10 point first quarter but he and the Dragons went cold in the second period trailing 22-18 at halftime.

But the Dragons, who eventually trailed by 10 in the fourth period found a way to edge Pauls Valley 46-45 at the Reimer Center last Thursday night.

Jorge Munoz came alive in the final stanza scoring seven of his nine points including going 3-6 at the line as the game tightened.

Browning led the Dragons with 17 points. He was joined in double figures by Nate Willis who canned 11.

“With this being our second quarantine in the last three weeks I was very concerned about not only our condition but our timing on the offensive side,” head coach Roger Raper said.

“We were expressionless for the first three quarters, just kind of going through the motions. We got down by 10 in the fourth and during a time out I could sense a change in our mind-set, just a different tone in their voice.

“I was proud of them for not giving up and finding a way to finish,” the coach said. “This has been a tough stretch and nothing any of us have ever dealt with in any way. 

“All we can do is go out and compete and hopefully find a way to battle through these crazy times,” Raper concluded.

Coach David Sikes’ Dragons won their ninth game in the last 10 outings brushing aside the Lady Panthers, 58-41.

Sikes had four players in double figures led by Emily Madden’s 18. Kora Keith dropped 13 and Sikes got 10 each from Kayla Skinner and Leslie Thompson.

Purcell was two dollar pistol hot in the opening frame breaking out to a 13-2 lead and really never looked back.

The Dragons built the margin to 26-14 at the halftime break and out-scored the Panthers 28-2 in the second half.

“I was proud of the way we played,” Sikes said.

“We have had balance scoring all year but never that kind of balance to have four girls in double figures.

Keith registered a double-double with 11 rebounds to go with her baker’s dozen on the scoreboard. She also had four assists.

“We are just playing really hard right now and although we have a lot to improve on we continue to battle and find ways to win,” Sikes said.

The Dragons knocked off Bridge Creek 52-47 earlier last week led by Madden’s 21 points outburst.

“This was a great win for us,” Sikes said. “They were ranked No. 16 in Class 4A making them the fourth ranked team we’ve beaten this season.

“I’m so proud of the girls,” he said.

Washington pinned a 56-35 loss on the Dragons last Saturday despite 12 points from Keith.

“We have played a great stretch of basketball over the last 10 games but in this game we didn’t play well at all,” the coach said.

“I hope we got all of that out of our system before the playoff start next week.”