By Dan Stillwell
A Class AA state record 54th consecutive victory didn’t come easy Friday for Summers County.
It took the proverbial “total team effort.”
Really.
The bench saved the day as the Bobcats turned back Brooke 78-39 in the Big Atlantic Classic at the Beckley-Raleigh County Civic Center.
With three all-staters forced to the bench in foul trouble, coach Wayne Ryan went all the way to the 12th player in the rotation in the first half to help stem the opportunistic Bruins.
“It was a strength-of-program win,” Ryan said. “We’re thankful for the depth we have.”
Summers (14-0) had not played in two weeks and the rust showed from the outset.
Add in foul trouble for senior point guard Ashley Brown and junior forwards Hallie and Hanna Gunnoe, and Summers visibly struggled at times.
The Bobcats led by eight early in the second quarter, but a 6-0 Brooke run closed the gap.
By the half’s end, only junior forward Leslie Mack remained on the floor from Summers’ starting five.
While the subs didn’t score a lot of points, they gave Brooke fits on defense.
“The bench played a lot of minutes and gave us the opportunity to be at full strength in the second half,” Ryan said. “We had who we wanted to close the deal when it mattered.”
Ahead 29-25, Summers came on like gangbusters following the break.
A 19-2 run, keyed by eight points apiece from Hallie Gunnoe and Mack, put the game well out of the Bruins’ reach.
“We were a step late in the first half, but we played a lot of kids and got through it,” Ryan said. “In the second half we played pretty good.”
Gunnoe finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals. Mack scored 22, while Candace Brown notched 10 points and Ashley Brown made eight steals and seven assists.
“They do an excellent job. They just wear you down,” Brooke coach John Leary said. “We had hoped to get ahead (to start the third quarter) and we wondered how many times Summers had been in that situation.”
Ashley Wilcox led Brooke (3-11) with eight points. Maci Hascak and Krista Elliott added six apiece. Amyelia Gaudio had six rebounds.
Summers will play Greenbrier East at 7:20 p.m. today for the tournament championship.
Ashley Brown, the Bobcats’ only four-year starter, said breaking Tucker County’s old record of 53 wins felt amazing.
“It’s not often people get to do this,” she said. “I’m especially proud of my teammates.
“We work hard together, and that is the key.”
— E-mail: dstillwell@register-herald.com
Summers County 78, Brooke 39
Brooke (3-11)
Maci Hascak 3-10 0-0 6, Amyelia Gaudio 1-7 3-4 6, Sydney Wagstaff 1-3 1-2 3, Ashley Wilcox 3-11 2-4 8, Marcedes Alexander 0-2 0-0 0, Krista Elliott 0-3 4-6 4, Kristin Black 1-1 0-0 2, Katie O’Connell 1-2 4-4 6, Lindsay Kurrina 0-1 0-0 0, Juliet Casinelli 0-0 0-1 0, Clarissa Kowalczyk 1-2 2, Savannah Wagstaff 0-0, 0-0 0, Amanda Weekley 0-2 1-2 1, Erika Hileman 1-2 0-1 1. Totals: 12-46 15-24 39.
Summers County (14-0)
Leslie Mack 8-17 4-4 22, Hallie Gunnoe 10-18 3-7 23, Hanna Gunnoe 4-10 0-4 8, Ashley Brown 1-2 2-2 7, Kelsie Lively 1-3 0-0 2, Hayley Shrewsbury 0-0 0-0 0, Morgan Gore 1-2 1-2 3, Tyra Wynes 1-3 1-1 3, Candace Brown 2-3 6-8 10, Kelsey Surber 0-0 0-0 0, Keri Hudson 0-1 0-0 0, Brooke Edwards 0-0 1-2 1, Ashleigh Ward 1-1 0-0 0. Totals: 29-60 18-30 78.
B 7 18 3 11 — 39
SC 14 15 27 22 — 78
Three-point goals: B: none; SC: 2 (Mack 2); Fouled out: none.
