May ties her record with seven 3-pointers
BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PIKEVILLE — The road to the 15th Region looked a little different for the Lady Cards this year. After a first-round loss in the 57th District Tournament, Martin County earned a bye in the Super Region. The squad took on Pike Central on Saturday and escaped with a 66-61 win to advance to play Pikeville.
Chloe May hit seven 3-pointers, while Candace Spaulding and Brooke Marcum each produced a double-double.
“Their four seniors didn’t want to go down and they probably played their best game against us,” Coach Robin Newsome said of Pike Central’s valiant effort. “They shot lights out in the second half. Everybody always comes with their A-game against us. It’s just our history of the sport and our tradition. They played well. You can’t take anything away from them; they made shots.”
May came out of the gates hot from deep. She dropped in three to start things off right for the red and white.
“These past few games I haven’t been hitting. But my teammates have enough confidence in me to keep giving me the ball and telling me to shoot. I take what they say and put it into the game,” May said.
Senior Candace Spaulding scored two buckets in the paint and drained two from the charity stripe to give Martin County a 15-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
May stayed on the burners and was cooking from behind the arc. She hit another three from downtown.
The 15th Region’s leading rebounder Maci Maynard struggled with early foul trouble but managed to knock down two shots between the blocks.
Martin County hit the break with a smooth 34-27 lead.
Point guard Brooke Marcum went off in the second half. She had 10 points in the third quarter.
“We showed everyone we have a chance to win this region. If everyone comes to play, we can pull out the W against Pikeville,” Marcum said.
May hit another 3-ball to tie her own Lady Cardinal record with 7-10 from outside.
With Pike Central making a run, Sophie Harless hit a clutch three to keep her team on top.
Spaulding dumped a pass into Marcum for a floater for a 56-52 lead heading into the final period.
After battling through a back-and-forth quarter, Pike Central knotted the score up at 60 each with two minutes remaining. Maynard would pick up her fifth foul on the following play.
Harless and Spaulding forced a trap at half-court and forced the Lady Hawk out-of-bounds for a turnover.
Pike Central sent May to the line in just under a minute. The hot hand calmly sank both free throws for a two-point lead.
On the other end of the floor, Lady Hawk Abby Hess shot the bonus and scored at the line to pull her squad within one point with 34 seconds remaining.
With Marcum playing keep away near the timeline, she was fouled and sent to the line. The cool-headed guard toed the line and knocked down both.
A Pike Central shot rimmed out and May secured the rebound before being fouled. She hit one of two to make it a two-possession game with nine seconds left.
The Lady Hawks barely missed a three on the front of the rim and Spaulding grabbed the board. The senior sunk a free throw with a second on the clock to see another day.
“I was proud of my kids for hanging in there and coming into this environment,” Coach Newsome said. “Chloe showed up tonight and was on fire.”
May hit a career-high of 26 points. She pulled down six rebounds, handed out an assist, and came in defensively with four steals.
“Candace is by far the most improved player on our team,” said Coach Newsome. “She’s given us stuff that she hasn’t in the past and she stepped up big time. I’m just so proud of her and she plays hard. She’s a hard-nosed kid.”
Spaulding finished the win with 11 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and a steal to stuff the stat sheet.
“My heart won’t stop beating,” Spaulding said after the close win. “It’s time to look ahead now. We’re going to match Pikeville’s intensity and hopefully make it to the finals.”
Marcum did a little bit of everything, firing in 16 points and handing out 10 dimes. She nearly missed the triple-double with seven rebounds and a block.
Maynard hit double digits despite playing in foul trouble. She had 10 points, six boards and two assists.
Harless finished the night with three points and a steal.
“Des came in, hasn’t played a whole lot of varsity, and she gave us some really good minutes,” Coach said.
Desirae Gullett picked a Lady Hawk’s pocket for a steal. She and Makenna Marcum provided solid bench minutes for the Lady Cards. Marcum dished out an assist.
“If you don’t show up or if you have an off night, you go to the house,” Coach Newsome concluded. “You have to bring your A-game every night from here on out. I’m just thankful to get this win.”
