Lady Mavs take home Christmas trophy
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The Anderson County Lady Mavericks added some hardware to their 2023 season by winning the 2023 Hammer’s Christmas Classic on Thursday. The Lady Mavs notched wins against Carter, Oneida and Hardin Valley to go undefeat- ed in the tournament. - Ricky Williams
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Sophomore Macy Basford knocked down five 3-pointers and had a total of 17 points in the Hammer’s Christmas Classic championship game against Hardin Valley on Thursday. The Lady Mavericks will take on Carter at home on Jan. 2. - Ricky Williams
In the period of a week, the Anderson County High School girls basketball team has experienced the peaks and valleys of the game.
The Lady Mavericks, however, will head into an extended holiday break with a three-game winning streak after winning the Hammer’s Christmas Classic.
ACHS (7-6), riding a two-game losing streak heading into last week, won the holiday tournament Thursday night with a hard-fought 54-51 victory over Hardin Valley Academy on AC’s home floor.
“It’s funny how sports is, how things can change in a week,” Lady Mavs Coach Mitch Cupples said. “That was a very big win for us, and I’ll have a merrier Christmas now.
“Hardin Valley was the only team to beat Clinton (until Thursday night). I know (Clinton) lost to Seymour, but I saw that game on film and Hardin Valley really impressed me. They really impressed me watching them in our tournament during the first two days.”
Against the Lady Hawks, three Anderson County players posted double figures in the scoring column. Jaylynn Bullock, a senior point guard, led the way with 19 points.
Macy Basford added 17 points.
“Macy hit five 3-pointers, all in the first three quarters, and Hardin Valley figured that out,” Cupples said. “They figured that out and tightened up on her, but that opened some things up for us inside.”
Emily Mustard scored 10 points against the Lady Hawks, but she also reached a career defensive milestone as she recorded her 100th career block. She had four blocks against Hardin Valley after recording six in Anderson County’s 50-32 victory in the tournament semifinals on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
In the semifinals against the Lady Indians, Bullock and Bethany Lowe each had 14 points, while Basford finished with 12,
“I think a lot of people were surprised by that game,” Cupples said.
“I was surprised by the margin. They’re well-coached and they usually have really good shooters. And we held them to 27 points until we both started subbing.
“They scored five points in the last minute,” he said. “We played great defense, and I’m a defensive guy, so I liked that.”
The Lady Mavericks opened tournament play with a 56-41 win over Carter on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
Anderson County had another solid defensive effort against the Lady Hornets as Carter committed multiple turnovers.
“We jumped on them and we turned them over 26 times,” Cupples said. “But they’re an up-and-coming team.
“We won by 15, but we couldn’t really pull away from them,” he said. “We’d make a run and then they would make a run.”
Basford was ACHS’ leading scorer, as she had 16 points.
Mustard and Bullock added 11 points apiece, and Lowe finished with 10.
The Lady Mavs will return to the hardwood Jan. 2 when they host Carter in a rematch of last week’s game.
ACHS hosts Oliver Springs on Jan. 4, and entertains Campbell County Jan. 5.
Tipoff for all three games is slated for 6 p.m.