BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Eden and Inez picked up wins in the final week of games before the Martin County elementary tournament began Oct. 18. Below is a recap of last week’s action:
Inez at Warfield – Inez defeated Warfield 26-10 Thursday evening.
Six players hit the scoring column for the Indians.
Warfield jumped on the scoreboard first behind two points from Anna Hinkle and Annabelle Gess. Inez responded with quick baskets from KB Muncy, Mia James, Emily Mills and Maddy Goble in a press.
The Indians shut out Warfield in the second quarter and scored nine more points before the half to take a 20-4 lead.
Both teams scored six points each in the second half.
Mills led the way with nine points for Inez, James dropped in five, Kenleigh Estep flipped in four, and Muncy, Goble and Mallory Hale added two points each.
Hinkle had three points for the Red Devils, and Gess, Hazelena Speakman and Erica Blackburn punched in two points apiece.
“I’m really proud of our team tonight. The growth we have had is tremendous. Every one of my girls has gotten better with shooting, rebounding and defense. They’re better in every aspect of the game,” said Inez head coach Alison Scott.
Warfield Red Devil Hazelena Speakman likes the improvement of her team.
“We hung with them in the first part of the game,” Speakman said. “We will be working on lay-ups, but our shooting has gotten better.”
Inez Indian Mia James said, “I think we played good and had a lot of points.”
Inez picked up a win in the B-team contest 20-7.
Harper Runyon tossed in six points, Kenleigh Estep and Aubree Muncy fired in four, and Kinslee Callaham, Kenley Harmon and Adrianne Stumbo added two points each.
For the Red Devils, Speakman led with four points, Bailey Hall nailed a shot for two, and Erica Blackburn hit one from the charity stripe.
Inez won the C-team game 18-4.
Emily Mooney poured in six points for the Indians, Paisley Mooney and Jaylea Maynard picked up four each, and Layla Cline and Macie Callaham hit two points apiece.
Desirae Evans and Abigail Hillsberg each scored two for Warfield.
Warfield at Eden – Eden picked up another win over Warfield on Oct. 12 with a score of 28-11.
KK Maynard led the Wildcats with eight points, Paige Stafford and Haileigh Smith hit three buckets each, Lexi Bowen rung in four points, and Alivia Stacy and Zoe Sammons added two apiece.
Anna Hinkle poured in seven points for the Red Devils, and Annabelle Gess and Hazelena Speakman each nailed a shot for two points.
“We’re improving with every game. They’re doing what we taught them to do,” Warfield head coach Billy Maynard said. “We’ve come a long way. These girls came from nothing at the beginning of the season. I like seeing what they can do each night on the floor.”
Hinkle said, “We’re getting better at getting open. We’re starting to dribble and get the ball down the floor more.”
Coach BJ Endicott’s Wildcats are undefeated in county action heading into the tournament.
“We moved the ball well, looked for our open player, and contributed to a win,” Endicott said. “They were hitting jumpers in the second half, but we switched up our defense and stopped em.’”
Eden defeated Warfield in the B-team contest 20-17. Harleigh Maynard hit double digits with 10 points for Eden, Lexi Bowen fired in six, and Alivia Stacy and McKinley Fitch tossed in two each.
Speakman led Warfield with eight points, Morgan Dove rumbled in four, Erica Blackburn pitched in two and Payzlee Fletcher added one.
Warfield pulled out a close victory in the C-team matchup 6-4.
Desirae Evans notched four points for Warfield and Gabby Mann added a basket for two.
Aubrey Wilson and Olivia Maynard fired in two each for the Wildcats.
Blaine vs. Inez — Inez had a convincing 29-18 win over Blaine in the A-team game Oct. 10 at home.
Mia James led the squad with a sizzling 12 points. Chloe Moore followed with eight, KB Muncy hit two buckets and a free throw for five, and Emily Mills and Harper Runyon each picked up two points.
The B-team won a close one 12-10. Runyon and Maddy Goble nailed two shots each for the Indians, and Kinslee Callaham and Bradlyne Stafford pitched in with two points apiece.
In C-team action, the game ended in a 6-6 tie that went to two overtimes. Jaylea Maynard, Macie Callaham and Emily Mooney tossed in a shot each.
