BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

HAZARD — Martin County Cardinals lost a high-scoring contest 84-79 to 14th Region champ Breathitt County in the 14th vs. 15th Regional Challenge held Saturday at Hazard High School.

The Bobcats had a 20-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cardinals picked up the pace in the second quarter and were in front 42-34 at halftime.

The third quarter saw the Cardinals fall behind 68-53.

Martin County rallied in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 84-79 but ran out of time.

Coach James said, “We came out a little flat, got in some foul trouble, and it was an uphill battle the entire game,” Martin County Coach Jason James said. “We made some good runs at times. We just couldn’t string together enough stops to get over the hump. Breathitt County is a terrific team and has a terrific player in Austin Sperry.”

He added, “We are still trying to find our identity defensively. It’s going to take us some time, but my goal is by January to be playing our best basketball.”

Senior Luke Hale led all scorers with 26 points for Martin County. Brayden McKenzie made a comeback from a sprained ankle to score 15 points, Dray Duff added 13, Peyton Davis fired in 10, Devan Maynard flipped in six points, Jacob Sturgill contributed four points, Blake Maynard added two points and Bryson Dials finished with three.