BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WARFIELD — The Martin County Elementary Girls Basketball Tournament concluded Oct. 25 before a packed house at Martin County Middle School. Eden won the A-team championship, while Inez claimed both the B-team and C-team titles.
Eden, Inez and Warfield also honored their sixth grade players during the tournament.
Below is a recap:
Eden A-team scorches Inez 31-9
Eden Wildcats came out on fire, scorching the Inez Indians 31-9 to win the Martin County Elementary Girls Basketball Tournament A-team championship Oct. 25.
Eden, coached by BJ Endicott, established a lead in the first quarter and never looked back, sailing to the easy victory.
“We played hard and executed on the defensive end,” Coach Endicott commented. “Forcing turnovers led to points on the board. This group is as tough as they come. Because of their tenacity, they pulled out an undefeated season and brought home the trophy.”
Endicott added, “Come out next week to watch us in the Eastern Kentucky Elementary Basketball Conference at Fallsburg Elementary.”
Harleigh Maynard scored a game-high 12 points to lead Eden. Teammate Lexie Bowen followed with six points, Alicia Stacy and Paige Stafford added four points each, Zoey Sammons and Sarah McCoy each contributed two, and Kennedy Mills chipped in one.
Mia James led Inez with four points, Aubrey Muncy added three and Kinley Estep scored two.
Inez B-team wins 17-11
Inez B-team won a fierce battle with Eden 17-11 to claim the B-team championship title.
Eden had a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. By the end of the second quarter the score was tied 7-7, while the third quarter ended in another knot 11-11. Inez scored six points in the final frame to pull away for the win.
Kinley Estep led Inez with six points, while Harper Runyon finished with five, Bradlyne Stafford added four and Knsley Callaham tossed in two.
Braylee Horn led Eden with five points, Paige Stafford tossed in four and Skylar Linley finished with two.
Inez C-team tames Eden 14-5
In the C-team championship game, the No. 2 seed Inez Indians tamed the Eden Wildcats 14-5 for the crown.
These two teams had already met twice during the regular season, with Eden claiming the first round. In the second regular season battle, the game went into double overtime and ended in a tie. Eden earned the No. 1 seed with a coin flip.
The Inez Indians held a 4-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Eden managed to get on the board in the second quarter with a basket by Harper Howell, narrowing the score to 8-3 at halftime. The Indians extended their lead to 10-5 by the end of the third quarter. In the final quarter, Inez scored four points to put the game away.
Macy Callaham and Jaylea Maynard scored four points for Inez, while Kenna Hale, Layla Cline and Bri Kellpugh each added two.
Harper Howell led the way for Eden, accounting for all five points.
Inez coach Ali Scott expressed her pride in her team: “They have worked hard this season, and they have all improved from the beginning of the year until now. They gave all they had during the tournament. As a coach I couldn’t be prouder.”
