By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – Cherokee County High School senior guard Mary Hayes Johnson can be likened to a gnat on the basketball court. Standing at 5-foot-3, she’s constantly getting in the face of who she’s guarding on defense, annoying them to no end.
The Lady Warriors’ gnat came up with a big game against Hokes Bluff on Friday night. She scored a game-high 20 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. She also grabbed seven rebounds, swiped six steals and dished out five assists in Cherokee County’s 49-21 victory.
“We didn’t have our best offensive game, but she was on it tonight,” Lady Warrior coach Richard Barton said of Johnson. “Steal after steal, knocking down some shots, she did a good job tonight of trying to pull us out and get us into some things. She’s going to score 12-14 points a game off of steals and layups. Offensively I’m glad she was on tonight. We needed her for sure.”
Johnson scored nine of her 20 points in the second quarter, which helped the Lady Warriors (15-3) build a 28-11 advantage.
Minus Johnson’s swipes for scores, the Lady Warriors were – as Barton said – “a little bit sloppy” otherwise. They led 9-4 at the end of the first quarter and only managed to outscore Hokes Bluff 6-2 in the third to take a 34-13 edge. The offensive pace picked up a little more in the fourth, as the Lady Warriors closed out the game on a 15-8 run.
“We tried to press a little bit but we were reaching and fouling and putting them at the free-throw line,” Barton said. “Luckily they missed a lot, but we do pride ourselves on playing good defense. I think we were a little bit off in that aspect tonight.
“We talk a lot about what we do with it after we get those turnovers. Are you taking care of the ball? Are you giving it back to them? Are you going to finish shots. We didn’t do well in that area tonight either.”
Macy Lea managed six points on a pair of 3-pointers for the Lady Warriors. Jolie Alexander added five points and four rebounds. Nevaeh Gaidurgis finished with four points, eight boards and three steals.
Addison Simmons led Hokes Bluff with nine points, including a 5-of-10 performance from the free-throw line. Mazely Ball finished with five points, all on free throws (5-of-8 for the game).
As a team, Hokes Bluff went 11-for-24 from the charity stripe for the game (45.8 percent).
“They kind of figured us out. They knew if they put the ball on the floor and got down there with it we were probably going to foul them,” Barton said. “That’s what kept happening. It’s kind of frustrating, but it got better a little bit later in the game. We need to be more disciplined on that end of the floor.”
The Lady Warriors travel to area rival Etowah on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.