BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PAINTSVILLE — Martin County fought a clean, hard fight to beat Paintsville 66-62 and bring home a back-to-back 57th District championship Friday.
The Cardinals take on Shelby Valley at 8 p.m. Wednesday (March 1) in the 15th Region Tournament at Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville. The winner will advance to the semifinal at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The championship game is set for 7 p.m. Monday (March 6).
This made the third boys district championship in the last four years for the new Martin County High School.
Fans packed every open spot in the storied Paintsville High School gym to watch the Cardinals take on the Tigers in the tournament final. They had spent the tournament week fighting for good seats and parking spots – and against the high heat in the gym.
On the other hand, players spent the week trying to keep their footing on a slick gym floor.
But finally, the championship game had arrived and the stage was set.
The teams had met twice in the regular season, each winning on their home court.
Martin County coach Jason James’ squad had their eyes set on winning the title but had a fight on their hands playing Paintsville at Paintsville.
“Paintsville is such a tough place to play,” James said. “We knew this was going to be a dogfight.”
The very first play of the game set the tempo as Brayden McKenzie went in for a lay-up and was hammered to the floor by a Paintsville player. Everyone held their breath hoping McKenzie was not injured and waiting for an intentional foul call. No blood and no intentional foul called.
McKenzie went to the line and knocked down both free throws to put the Cards on the board 2-0.
Martin County went up 13-11 behind five points each by Jacob Sturgell and Peyton Davis, including a 3-pointer by Davis at the 2:42 mark. Paintsville’s Connor Fugate answered with 11 points to help the Tigers retake the lead 19-18 heading into the second quarter.
The pace was fast and furious and the lead went back and forth in the second frame. The Cardinals slowed Fugate down, holding him to six points. McKenzie had the hot hand for the Cardinals and sunk eight points as Martin County rallied to outscore Paintsville 21-14 for a 39-33 lead at halftime.
The pace slowed in the third as both teams appeared a little tired. Luke Hale put the Cardinals up 41-33 scoring at 7:51. Duff found McKenzie for a 3-pointer to push the lead to 44-35. Paintsville fought back and closed the gap to five at 50-45 before the quarter ended. McKenzie scored 7 of 11 third-quarter points to lead Martin County, while the Cardinals held Fugate to two points.
Coach James was hit with a technical foul at the 5:19 mark in the final quarter and had to stay seated on the bench.
The fouls at one time were 1-7 in favor of Paintsville as the Tigers tied the score 52-52.
Sturgell scored at the 4:14 mark to put the Cards in front 54-52, this time for good.
The Tigers would not go away. The fouls were 3-9 in Paintsville’s favor and the Tigers would have to foul several times to stop the clock and put the Cardinals in the bonus.
Play got very physical and out of control during the last three minutes of the game. The fouls came and were hard; some appeared intentional.
When victory seemed certain for the Cardinals, Sturgell got clotheslined and took a forearm to the head after the whistle, knocking him to the floor. Coaches and fans were screaming for an intentional foul call, but none was given, although Sturgell was down and looked hurt.
The junior recovered after a moment and remained in the game as the Cardinals pulled out the win.
Tempers flared as the game ended, and law enforcement was called in to control the crowd.
“We came out and were able to keep the pace high, which was what we wanted,” said Coach James. “We thought if we could get close to 70 or more points, they couldn’t beat us. We had several guys step up and make some big plays. I’m really proud of their composure after I got the technical. They really settled in and just wouldn’t be denied. Super proud to be their coach. They earned it.”
McKenzie led the way for the Cardinals with 25 points, five steals and five boards, while Hale and Sturgell each had 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Davis contributed seven points, Dray Duff finished with six points and eight assists, and Matt Linville scored two.
Fugate led Johnson Central with 29 points, Ethan Cole added 10 points, Anderson Lauffer dropped nine, Brock Woods eight, and Frederick James and Jase Kinner each scored three.
