article by Robert Anderson of www.roanoke.com
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Spectators filled Salem High School at a don’t-tell-the-fire-marshal level.
The object of the attention — Mac McClung — was still signing autographs 30 minutes after Saturday’s final buzzer.
The traveling road show that is McClung and his Gate City High teammates brought so much buzz to the Adam Ward Classic that one thing was nearly forgotten.
Pulaski County didn’t just come to be part of the sideshow.
Pulaski held a second-quarter lead and trailed by just two points midway through the third quarter before Gate City pulled away for an 89-69 victory over the Cougars.
“Our guys battled,” Pulaski County coach Andrew Hart said. “We just wanted to challenge them and not back down.”
Gate City (19-1) presented quite a challenge.
The Blue Devils, whose only 2017-18 loss was to North Mecklenburg (N.C.) in the Arby’s Classic in Tennessee, are led by McClung, a 6-foot-2 Georgetown signee.
McClung scored 47 points including three dunks in the second half when the Blue Devils pulled away.
Pulaski sophomore James Jackson had much of the defensive assignment on the high-flying McClung, a legitimate cause for a sleepless night or two.
“It was on my mind a lot, but I just tried to focus and not get too overwhelmed, not let it scare me too much,” Jackson said. “I tried to come in confident.
“I knew he was going to get his. I knew he was going to score. He was a lot different than anybody I’ve seen this season. He’s strong. He can shoot. He can blow past you.”
McClung did most of his damage on drives to the bucket, either beating the help defense or scoring through contact with a deft bank shot.
“There’s not one single person that can stop him,” Hart said. “You need two or three people sometimes. He’s one of the best finishers around the basket that I’ve ever seen.”
Hart was just happy his team responded from Friday night’s 79-57 loss to Blacksburg in which the Cougars were victims of a 30-2 run.
Guard C.C. Grubb scored 20 points to lead five Pulaski players in double figures.
Logan Robertson and Dre Grubb scored 15 spiece, while Kade Akers had 10 including two 3-pointers to open the game as the Cougars hit 14 treys.
“I just tried to let [the Blacksburg game] go,” Hart said. “It’s good to get back there today and perform well.”
Gate City had three players score all its points.
Junior guard Zac Ervin backed McClung with 24 points, while sophomore Bradley Dean scored 18.
Mostly, the stage was for McClung, who was 19 for 36 from the field and now has 2,463 career points, 308 away from breaking the VHSL record held by former Floyd County star Caleb Tanner.
“Our kids enjoy playing,” Gate City coach Scott Vermillion said. “They like the show.”
McClung is the show.
The Cougars prevented McClung from dunking until the final minute of the third quarter when he threw down an alley-oop.
McClung would trade all his highlights for a VHSL state title.
Gate City lost to Martinsville in the 2016 semifinals and fell to Robert E. Lee last year in the quarterfinals. Both teams went on to win championships.
“It’s crazy,” McClung said. “It motivates us a lot. It’s always in the back of my head. I’ll never forget letting those guys down.”
McClung headed toward Gate City’s bus, only to be intercepted by more autograph seekers.
Has it gotten old yet?
“Not yet,” he said. “I just feel like a lot of hard work is paying off right now.”
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Mac McClung
