BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
BENTON — The Martin County Lady Cardinals took down Marshall County 45-42 in the 2022 Marshall County Hoopfest, one of the premier basketball events in the country, in a game early Saturday morning in the Reed Conder Gymnasium in Benton.
The Lady Marshals of Region 1 finished 21-6 last season.
This one would take the Lady Cardinals more than four quarters in a very physical hard-fought battle to determine the outcome. After a four-minute overtime, the Lady Cardinals held on for a 45-42 win.
The Lady Cards got off to a good start and held the lead 13-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Things heated up going into the second quarter as Lady Cards junior Katie Marcum picked up her third foul and a busted nose that sent her to the bench for most of the second quarter.
The Lady Marshals hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to take a 21-20 halftime lead.
Junior Laken Williams had to pick up the scoring slack with Marcum out of the lineup. Williams finished the half with 17 points.
Laken Schroader of Marshall County had seven to lead the Lady Marshals.
The Lady Cardinals got off to a slow start in the third as Marcum picked up her fourth foul in the first 30 seconds.
Marshall County jumped out to their largest lead of the game, going up eight points. Marshall County finished the third quarter on top 34-28.
The fourth quarter saw both teams going at it. As play got very physical, junior Kennadi Mollette collided heads with a Marshall County player and had to leave the game at the five-minute mark.
The Lady Cardinals came storming back to outscore Marshall County 12-6 to draw the game 40-38.
With the Lady Cardinals down by two, Williams took the ball to the basket and was fouled with 7.7 seconds to go in the game. The guard stepped to the line and knocked down both pressure free throws to tie the game 40-40.
Marshall County’s Mia Teague got a last-second shot off for the win, but it fell short.
In the overtime, Williams came up big again for the Lady Cards and knocked down a huge 3-pointer.
Coach Newsome decided to use up some clock, as Marcum had played the entire second half and the overtime with four fouls.
A couple of missed free throws by the Lady Cards and a steal by Izzy Washburn of Marshall County cut the lead to one point. With 13 seconds to go and the Lady Cards in possession of the ball, the Lady Marshals decided to foul freshman Brooke Marcum. The guard stepped to the line and knocked down two crucial free throws to put the Lady Cards up by three.
The Lady Marshals attempted a 3-point shot for the tie, but it fell short.
Williams would lead all scorers with 26 points, four rebounds and four steals. She was named the Hoopfest Player of the Game.
Katie Marcum, who saw limited action due to foul trouble, finished with 11 points and five boards.
Brooke Marcum finished with four points.
Alyssa Allen had one of her best floor games of the season leading the Lady Cards with eight rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Rounding out the stats, Mollette added one point and five boards, while Chloe May chipped in one point and one board.
Schroader led the Lady Marshals with 10 points. Peyton Weitlauf and Georgia Hall each added eight, Chevelle Henson chipped in seven, Teague finished with five, and Madyson Morton and Washburn each added two.
Martin County coach Robin Newsome added some words about the big weekend win.
“Playing in the Hoopfest, win or lose, is huge for our kids and program,” Newsome said. “It’s every player’s dream to play in the Hoopfest – great atmosphere and great experience. Teams come from all over the country to play in this event. Just walking into the gymnasium gives you an old-school feeling. You can just sense the rich tradition and history of their program.
“Anytime you can come to Marshall County and come away with a win on their court says a lot about your players,” added Newsome. “Very blessed to have been given the opportunity for our players to experience this atmosphere. Just the invite to this premier event says a lot about our kids and our program. Very proud of our young team.”
The Lady Cardinals will be back in action Friday vs. Shelby Valley and Saturday vs. Belfry at Martin County High School. Game times will be 7:30 p.m.