FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Martinsburg and North Marion both have aspirations of factoring heavily into the postseason picture in their respective classifications.
Both teams showed why Monday night in the featured matchup of the East Fairmont Classic.
The Bulldogs rallied from a five-point deficit to start the fourth quarter, and Prosperity Stitt was made 1-of-2 free throws with 5 seconds left to send Martinsburg to a 56-55 win over the Huskies.
“We don’t back down,” Martinsburg head coach Kyle Triggs said. “It’s all about getting our kids in position to be ready when it counts.”
North Marion (11-1) led 41-36 entering the fourth quarter and 50-46 after Taylor Buonamici converted two free throws with 4:34 remaining follow a Bulldogs’ technical foul.
The Bulldogs (9-2) took the lead soon after as Olivia Mayer made a 3-pointer and Stitt followed with a layup. After two free throws from Buonamici put the Huskies back on top, Martinsburg’s Morganne Andrews accounted for a conventional three-point play with 1:46 remaining to give the Bulldogs a 53-51 edge.
Andrews was dominant in the paint throughout and finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds.
“We knew coming in we had to get a body on (Andrews) and we didn’t do that the whole game,” NMHS head coach Michael Parrish said. “It ended up costing us.”
With the Bulldogs clinging to a two-point lead, Stitt missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 25 seconds left, allowing Buonamici to tie the game at the free-throw line with seven seconds remaining.
Stitt was fouled as she dribbled up the court and converted the front end to break the 55-all tie.
“We gutted it out in the end,” Triggs said.
Andrews scored 10 points in the first quarter to help the Bulldogs build a 16-10 lead, and the Bulldogs scored the first four of the second quarter to gain a 10-point advantage.
But the Huskies ended the half on an 8-2 run to close to within four at halftime despite having made only 5-of-26 shots.
“We were stuck on ten (points) forever and they got a lot of second-chance points,” Parrish said.
After Andrews scored inside to up the Bulldogs’ lead to 30-25 with 4:20 left in the third quarter, NMHS outscored Martinsburg, 16-6, over the remainder of the third quarter. Buonamici scored seven of her nine points in the quarter during the run, including a layup that sent the Huskies into the fourth with a five-point lead.
Mayer was the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer with 10 points, while Stitt scored seven points to go with nine boards and five assists.
Despite scoring only two points in the first half, Buonamici led North Marion with 22, including a 9-of-10 effort at the free throw line. Katlyn Carson added 14 points and 11 boards in the loss.
Martinsburg had a 52-40 rebounding edge that helped offset the Huskies’ 34 free-throw attempts.
“We told the kids we could win the war in the paint,” Triggs said, “and that’s what we did.”