INEZ — Martin County sophomore Candace Spaulding (#13) and junior Brayden McKenzie (#3) are the Mountain Citizen Players of the Week.

Spaulding comes off the bench for the varsity team and starts for the JV team. She is the true definition of a perfect teammate, willing to do whatever is asked of her to help the team win. She brings energy to the team when she enters the game as she goes all out on defense, forcing the other teams into making turnovers. She also makes a lot of deflections, grabs rebounds and gets a lot of steals when she enters the game.

Spaulding plays the point on the press for the Lady Cardinals. She came up big in multiple games causing the other team to turn the ball over, leading to points for the Lady Cards. The defensive impact and the energy she brings off the bench are irreplaceable. She averages two points, two steals, two rebounds and three deflections per game.

Spaulding is the daughter of Gabriel and Starlin Spaulding.

McKenzie holds down the forward/guard position for the Martin County Cardinals.

In the Martin County vs. Paintsville All “A” Regional game, he had 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals to help lead the Cardinals to a 70-51 first-round win.

In the Martin County vs. East Ridge game, McKenzie had 16 points, five rebounds and three steals. He shot 7-for-14 from the field for 50% to help lead the Cardinals to a 97-69 semifinal win.

In the championship game of the All “A” Classic, McKenzie stepped his game up to score 20 points and grab four rebounds, two assists and two steals. McKenzie shot 9-for-14 from the field for 64%. He played a huge part in helping the Cardinals defeat the Pikeville Panthers 72-70 in their first-ever Class “A” regional championship. 

McKenzie is averaging 14 points a game and shooting 52% from the field. 

He is the son of Sabrina Adkins and Bart McKenzie.