BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PIKEVILLE — Martin County weathered a third-quarter swing and finished the night at the foul line to pull out a 59-55 win over regional rival Pike Central after a back-and-forth battle Feb. 17.

The Lady Cards led early, 9-6 after one quarter, and carried a 26-23 advantage into halftime. Pike Central flipped the game in the third, taking a 42-39 lead into the fourth. Martin County answered with timely shot-making and late-game poise to close it out.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth over the last three games,” Head Coach Robin Newsome said. “We have had different kids step up in key situations. It’s been a total team effort.”

Makenna Marcum paced Martin County with 24 points, burying four 3-pointers and delivering a big finish late. Marcum hit a triple in the first quarter, added another in the second and a third in the third, then took over down the stretch. She went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line late and poured in 11 points in the fourth quarter with a triple and two baskets.

Maci Maynard controlled the paint and posted a dominant double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds. She scored four points in the opening quarter, then piled up 10 in the second on four baskets and two free throws as the Lady Cards built their halftime lead. She added two free throws in the third and finished with a basket and two more freebies in the fourth.

Chloe May delivered key offense in every quarter and finished with 12 points, including two 3-pointers. She scored two in the first, drilled a three in the second, added a basket in the third, then knocked down a triple and a late basket in the fourth as Martin County climbed back in front.

The fourth quarter turned into a possession-by-possession fight. With Martin County needing answers, May, Marcum and Sophie Harless came through with big shots.

“We got down in the fourth and Chloe, Makenna and Sophie stepped up and knocked down some big shots to put us up with two minutes to go,” Newsome said.

Martin County led 53-52 with 33 seconds left, then stretched it to 57-55 with 14.5 seconds remaining before closing the door at the line. Newsome credited her team’s late-game execution and decision-making for the difference.

“We were up one and we backed it out and took some time off the clock. It allowed us to get to the free-throw line,” she said. “Maynard and Marcum hit key free throws down the stretch.”

Newsome also pointed to continued growth at the point, noting Annaleigh Davis has started to settle into managing the game.

“Annaleigh is taking care of the ball and starting to manage the clock a lot better and control the tempo of the game,” Newsome said.