BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ – The Martin County High School girls and basketball teams are scheduled to play in this year’s Zip Zone Classic on Nov. 26. Both teams are coming off District Championship seasons and are looking to repeat.
The Lady Cards are once again coached by Cardinal legend Robin Newsome. The team had a 23-7 overall record, 14-4 in the 15th Region, and 8-0 in the 57th District.
They defeated Johnson Central in the 57th District Championship and lost to eventual region champ Pikeville in the second round of the 15th Region tournament.
Key returners include Laken Williams, Katie Marcum, Kennadi Mollett, Brooklyn Marcum, Candace Spaulding, and Alyssa Allen. Williams and K. Marcum accounted for 1,010 of the Cardinals 1,732 points last season.
Hallie Mills, Sophie McCoy, and Tamara Workman are upper classmen that will provide leadership and valuable minutes for the Lady Cards.
The team has multiple young guns that are looking to impress. Sophie Harless, Chloe May, Bella Muncy, Angelina Moore, Kaylee Endicott, Cheyanne Spaulding, Desirae Gullett, Ava Farnham, Alyssa Maynard, and Jane Smith will see minutes this season.
Key losses are Brittany Thompson, Jaaliyah Warren, and Graci Snyder which accounted for 20% of the team’s scoring.
Coach Newsome has been putting in work with her team in preseason practices. “We’ve been getting in conditioning and doing fundamental drills. We’ve been working on team chemistry and putting a lot of stuff in,” she said.
“We’ve got to improve on defense and offense. A weakness was rebounding last year. We’re going to have to press a lot and push the ball. We have some impact players that will have to step up for us,” she continued. “I’m looking forward to competing and seeing where we’re at. We will improve every game, and we hope to get better with each practice.”
Coach Newsome is part of a winning tradition in Martin County. “Our goals are always the same. We want to win our district, win region, and go to state.”
The squad will take to the floor on Nov. 26 versus the Lady Tigers. “Chapmanville has a really good team. We only won by a few points during summer league. We look for it to be another tight game.”
The Cards style of play will be getting up and down the floor, pushing the ball, and hounding the other team on defense. The team will make up for their lack of size with speed.
Marcum led the team with 269 rebounds at 9 per game. “We’re trying to get in shape and improve our communication. All of our juniors and younger kids have stepped up to take care of the team,” she said.
Mollett said Coach Newsome tells the players ‘no sandbagging’ during practices. “Everyone has to be 110% at all times. We can’t be dragging each other down. We have a team bond that no one else has and a connection to each other,” she said. “We’re all looking forward to the Zip Zone Classic, it’s one of the biggest things we do.”
On the boys side, Jason “JJ” James will be back at the helm. The Cards had a 24-8 overall record, 16-5 in the 15th Region, and 6-2 in the 57th District.
(Citizen photo by Brittni McCoy)
The team took down Johnson Central in the 57th District Championship and lost to eventual region champ Pikeville in the second round of the 15th Region tournament.
Key returners include Luke Hale, Matt Linville, Blake Maynard, Jacob Sturgell, Brayden McKenzie, Dray Duff, Brayden Estep, Dawson Mills, and Peyton Davis. Hale and Linville accounted for 585 points for the Cards last season. Sturgell, Linville, and Maynard pulled down 466 boards.
Devan Maynard, Ethan Ferrell, and Brayden Estep are impact players that are sure to make a splash.
Key losses are the 15th Region player of the year Brady Dingess and Jordan Dalton.
Coach James will have a “get up” the floor team. “I like our length and athleticism. We have a lot of depth and we’re a quick team. We’re going to get after it on the press, which will be the first time since I’ve been coaching,” he said.
“Hale is a terrific on ball defender and the best shooter in the region. McKenzie has worked hard to get back after his injury. Devan is possibly the best freshmen in the region,” James said.
The Cards have big goals for this season. “We believe we can win the 57th district this year and we’d like to make it to the final four in the region and see what happens. We think we can make a run in the All A and win it.”
Duff pulled down 49 boards last year and will be running the point for the Cardinals. “We’re going to pressure the ball this year. We have a lot of people who can do a lot of stuff. We have three or four guys who can score in the post.”
Linville is the lone senior and will provide a leadership role for the Cards. He averaged 5.9 rebounds a game last season. “We’ve been working on ball handling, and we have a really athletic team that can shoot the ball,” he said.
As a leader, he has responsibilities and provides experience for the younger players. “My job is getting the new guys used to what we’ve always worked on and getting our defense running smoothly and keeping the team talking.”
The Lady Cards open the regular season against Betsy Layne at home on Nov. 28. The Cards will travel to Russell on Nov. 29.