CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
LEXINGTON — Martin County Lady Cards traveled to Lexington Christian High School to compete in the Jim Rose Classic Dec. 16-17. They lost to the Spencer County Bears 62-41 in the first round and bounced back the following day to defeat a good Mercer County team 68-58.
Below is a recap of the games.
SC 62, MC 41
The Lady Cards got off to a sluggish start against the Spencer County Lady Bears and could not find any offensive rhythm in their 62-41 loss.
Baskets were hard to come by in the first half as the Lady Cards managed only nine points in the first quarter and five in the second. The Lady Bears were up 21-14 at the half.
Spencer County came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter to go up 42-22.
The Lady Cards finally found the net in the fourth quarter for 19 points, but it was not enough.
Martin County moved to 7-2 on the season.
Katie Marcum scored 11 points to lead Martin County, Chloe May fired in nine, Brooke Marcum added seven, Maci Maynard and Laken Williams flipped in four each, Kennadi Mollett added three, and Alyssa Allen chipped in two.
Ella Brown led all scorers with 20 points for Spencer County. Ava Rogue added nine points, Hawley Johnson finished with seven, Skylar Mills flipped in six, Mallorie Cox, Gracie Brown and Kayla Basham each chipped in five, Lily Hughes scored four, and Cassie Scott contributed one.
Lady Cards 68, Mercer 58
Martin County defeated reigning 12th Region champ Mercer County 68-58 Sunday.
The Lady Cards had their work cut out for them in containing Mercer County point guard Anna Drakeford, who finished the game with 34 points.
Martin County kept the lead in the first half. Laken Williams got on track for 12 of her 30 points in the first quarter. Chloe May dialed up two long-range 3-pointers to help the Lady Cards to a 20-16 lead at the end of one.
Katie Marcum got going in the second quarter, scoring seven of her 15 points, to keep the Lady Cards on pace for a 38-28 lead at the half.
Martin County maintained the momentum in the second half to walk away with the win.
Williams led Martin County with 30 points, Katie Marcum followed with 15, May knocked down four 3-pointers for 12 points, Kennadi Mollett finished with three points, and Alyssa Allen and Brooke Marcum flipped in two each.
For Mercer County, Anna Drakeford led with 34 points, Sara Dunn added 11, Izzie Carlton finished with 10, and Skylar Webb flipped in three.
Coach Newsome liked how her team responded after the loss to Spencer County.
“Mercer County has a very good ball team,” Newsome said. “Our kids competed hard and came out with the win. It was a total team effort. We just got out to a bad start in the Spencer County game and played with no energy. Our shots were not falling, and we struggled offensively, letting that affect the rest of our game.”
The Lady Cards moved to 8-2 on the season and will return to action in the Smokey Mountain Classic Dec 27.