CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
NEWPORT — Martin County Lady Cardinals picked up wins over Newport 71-26 and Campbell County 63-53 in the Donna Murphy Classic played Friday and Saturday in Newport.
Below is a recap of both games.
Lady Cards dominate Newport 71-26
Martin County dominated Newport 71-26 Friday in the Donna Murphy Classic.
The first half was competitive as Newport hung around, only down 24-13 at the half.
The Lady Cards gave a spectacular third-quarter performance, scorching the nets for 31 points to go up 55-20, then coasted to the win.
Senior guard Laken Williams was unstoppable, knocking down three 3-pointers on her way to a 32-point performance. Senior Katie Marcum picked up three quick fouls in the first five minutes of the game and saw limited minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.
Martin County coach Robin Newsome called on eighth grader Maci Maynard to take up the slack. The up-and-coming star grabbed nine boards to lead the Lady Cards in rebounding.
Marcum came out on fire in the second half, scoring nine straight points and finishing with five boards. Senior Alyssa Allen had a great floor game, scoring 12 points; senior Kennadi Mollette knocked down two treys for six points; super sophomores Brooke Marcum and Chloe May finished with five points each; eighth-grader Maci Maynard added two points.
Lady Cards knock off Campbell County 63-53
Martin County set down a talented Campbell County team 63-53 Saturday in the Donna Murphy Classic.
The Lady Cards were down 12-10 at the end of the first quarter. Laken Williams led the scoring attack with seven first-quarter points.
Katie Marcum picked up two quick fouls and the Lady Cards were without their star center for much of the first half. Again, Coach Newsome called on 6-foot-4 eighth-grader Maci Maynard to step up.
Senior Alyssa Allen had the challenge of guarding Campbell County’s 6-foot Isabell Jayasuriya, who averaged a double-double. Allen’s defensive efforts held Jayasuriya to 12 points and six boards, proving a key factor in the game.
The Lady Cards scored 22 second-quarter points to take a 32-27 lead at the half.
Marcum came up big in the third quarter with seven of the Lady Cards’ 16 points. Williams continued to score at will as the Lady Cards went up 48-38 heading into the final quarter.
The Camels made a run in the fourth quarter, cutting into the 10-point lead. Chloe May hit two long treys to stop Campbell County’s momentum as the Lady Cards sealed the win.
Coach Newsome had great things to say about her team’s effort against Campbell County’s relentless press and aggressive defense.
“We showed great teamwork on both ends of the court, especially in help defense against their athletic inside players,” Newsome said.
“This was a very good team we played. It was a total team effort on offense and on the defensive end to get the win.”
The Lady Cards finished the game with 16 steals. Williams led with six steals, Allen grabbed five, Brooke Marcum and Katie Marcum had two each.
Williams led Martin County with 27 points. Katie Marcum added 14 and five boards despite seeing limited action due to early foul trouble. Chloe May knocked down three treys, two in the fourth quarter, for nine points. Allen chipped in five points and four boards, Brooke Marcum finished with five points and four boards, and Maci Maynard played big minutes, scoring three points and three boards. Kennadi Mollett played a great floor game, pulling down three boards and no turnovers.
The Lady Cards tallied 25 rebounds, 16 steals and 10 assists.
Martin County is 3-0 on the season.
The Lady Cards were set to play Tug Valley at home Dec. 5. Details of that game were unavailable at press time.
