Purcell had their traveling bags packed last week with three games all on the road.

Coach Matt Lohn’s Dragons got off on the right foot knocking off Bridge Creek 56-47.

Senior Jaime Resendiz paved the road offensively for Purcell knocking down 16 points. He was joined in double figures by junior Drew Blair with 11.

Purcell built a six point lead at intermission and cruised to the victory.

“We came out with good energy and executed the game plan pretty well in the first quarter,” Lohn said.

Adversity struck early when the Dragons were without Canaan Colburn who was injured and missed the remainder of the contest. Plus, Resendiz picked up two quick fouls.

“Bridge Creek flies around and puts a lot of pressure on the paint on offense. We succumbed to that a little in the second, giving up 14 points. But our offense backed our defense up by putting up 18. And that was a key to the game,” Lohn continued.

“After halftime we had opportunities to runaway with it, but couldn’t make a shot or get a stop. That’s where we have to improve. We have to find that killer instinct and ability to end it early. I was still proud of the four quarter effort I saw from my guys. They bought in to our game plan and executed it at a high level,” the coach said.

Resendiz and Blair led the offense with a dozen each in a 47-38 loss at Blanchard last Thursday night.

“This was a measuring stick game for us,” Lohn said because Blanchard is believed to be one of the top teams in class 4A.

“I loved our energy to start the game, but we could not consistently score it. The second quarter was a killer, only making two free throws, but our defense bowed its neck holding them to only six.

“I challenged my guys at halftime to come out and set a tone physically, reminding them of the resilience they have shown in previous games when we were down,” Lohn said.

The Dragons answered the call and jumped back into the game.

“This was huge given Blanchard has routinely come out and put teams away after half. Unfortunately, we weren’t good enough at the charity stripe and could never find our way over the hump,” the coach said.

“I left that game encouraged by the way we battled and the ‘never quit’ attitude we showed. This team has a lot of heart and grit and I personally believe we can play with anyone in the state.

“We simply have to eliminate the unforced errors that lead to advantages for other teams. But give Blanchard credit, they were tougher, more consistent and executed better overall,” Lohn confirmed.

After falling behind 15-2 in the first quarter, Purcell battled back only to come up just short in a 49-46 last Saturday night at Anadarko.

After being shut out in the first half Resendiz rebounded in the second half for a dozen points in the paint to lead the offense.

“Anadarko did a great job of scouting us. They required us to work for everything we got,” Lohn said. “When you can’t score it, you must be able to defend at a high level and we simply did not early in the game.”

The coach credited his bench for jump starting the team starting in the second quarter.

After that brutal first quarter Purcell was only down a bucket, 21-19, at halftime, which was huge.

“As bitter as it tastes, I am intrigued by where we are at going into break, knowing we’ve played quality competition. It’s a long season, and each of these experiences, the wins and the losses, are teaching us something for later,” he said.

Coach Toney Cooper’s Dragons were led on offense by junior Halle Buchanan she and senior Lily Del Toro both scored eight points in the 48-36 loss at Bridge Creek.

“Heading into this game our focus was on two things, taking care of the ball and starting fast. Unfortunately we did not execute on either,” Cooper said.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 21-10 but the Dragons trimmed the lead to 25-20 with a strong defensive effort.

“For the second straight game we had over 20 turnovers,” Cooper said. “Taygan Winters was a huge spark off the bench defensively and she knocked down a couple of threes to help us get back in the game.

“Ultimately, we could not overcome the deficit we found ourselves in from the tip.”

Purcell got off to a slow start in a 41-35 loss to Blanchard last Thursday, trailing 17-9 after one period.

Turnovers played a  big part with eight of the team’s 13 in the game came in the opening frame.

“I was proud of our fight,” Cooper said. “We were able to close the gap by the half. It was an extremely competitive game and despite the loss, I was extremely pleased with our efforts. While 13 turnovers is still too many, it did mark an improvement. Halle Buchanan continues to lead offensively with 14. Rylee Peoples followed with 7.”

Another slow start at Anadarko last Saturday night led to a 10 point deficit.

But the Dragons fought back to a one point deficit going into the fourth quarter.

“Defensive breakdowns and turnovers again took an opportunity away for us to win,” Cooper said.

Buchanan led Purcell’s offensive attack with 11 points.

“Going into the break we’ve got things we definitely need to correct but also can take away some things to build on from our games thus far.

“We are learning to string together positive plays, and are getting better defensively,” Cooper concluded.

Lohn said during the holiday break his club will be getting ready for the East  Central Oklahoma Classic hosted by Ada High School.

The field is ultra tough with ranked teams like North Rock Creek, Ada, Dickson, Idabel and Ardmore all set to be there January 8-10.

“I am looking forward to the challenge, and I know my guys are excited to go compete.” Lohn concluded.