With luck and penalties, AC beats Cougars
Mavericks squeak past Campbell County by the skin of their teeth after nearly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
While hosting a rematch against the Cougars on Thursday, Jan. 30, the Mavericks took an early lead that they held onto until the fourth quarter. Midway through the third, something rattled the Mavs as they suddenly stopped hitting their shots, and even stopped making free throws. Meanwhile, Campbell County got a burst of energy in the second half that drove them through two hot streaks against the Mavericks that narrowed the gap between the teams from 11 points in favor of Anderson County to five points in favor of the Cougars.
By the end of the game, it was down to the wire, with the Mavericks still struggling to hit their shots and Campbell County refreshed and confident. Both teams fouled tremendously in the second half and the free throws alone could have kept Anderson County in a comfortable lead if only they had made them. Even saying that, though, most of the shots weren’t bad shots. Some were just plain unlucky, such as a free throw that was aimed perfectly, but caught the back of the rim in just such a way that the ball sprung right back out of the goal.
Ultimately, it was Connor Martin that led the Mavericks, and lead he did, going for 16 points in a game where his closest teammate had only eight. He also came away with six rebounds, second only to Anthony White. White was the second highest scorer for the team with eight points, but he came away with eight rebounds and two steals, as well as a block.
Meanwhile, poor Carter Jett, who is usually one of the team’s top scorers, managed only two points and took four charges for the team.
The Mavericks finished with an effective field goal percentage of 44-percent and 0.83 points per possession, with 14 personal fouls to Campbell County’s 20. The Mavericks also took five charges. Campbell County took zero.