Martin County boys slated to play Saturday afternoon

BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

WILLIAMSON — The 21st annual Hatfield-McCoy Shootout will take place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4 at the historic Williamson Fieldhouse.

The long-running two-day basketball tournament heads into its 21st year. The H-M Shootout resumed last year after the 2021 tourney was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.

A total of 12 games in two days are scheduled to be played with 15 teams from West Virginia and Kentucky participating.

Martin County and Tug Valley are both slated to play in the popular two-day event.

The Cardinals are slated to play Saturday afternoon against highly ranked Class AA Poca, W.Va., at 3 p.m.

Tug Valley is set to play Belfry on Feb. 3 in the 9:30 p.m. nightcap, then take on Shelby Valley on Feb. 4 at 8:30 in the final game of the tournament Saturday.

The shootout opens Feb. 3 as Teays Valley Christian plays Wesley Christian at 5 p.m.

Game 2 has Westside squaring off with Pike Central at 6:30 p.m.

Mingo Central will take on Williamstown at 8 p.m. then Tug Valley ends the day with local rival Belfry.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, the action begins at 11 a.m. as the Williamson Middle School boys play Chapmanville Middle. Game 2 features Westside taking on Williamstown at noon.

Then in the third game, South Charleston, W.Va., is set to face Johnson Central at 1:30 p.m.

The Poca-Martin County game follows that game, then game 5 is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. and has Lenore Middle School squaring off with Madison Middle.

Scott High of Madison, W.Va., plays Pike Central at 6 p.m. before the Mingo Central/Belfry and Tug Valley/Shelby Valley games end the shootout.

Mark Whitt, a longtime local official and sports enthusiast, is again the tournament director. The sponsor for this year’s event is Clintwood JOD.

Once again, huge crowds are expected for the basketball shootout.