CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
HINDMAN — Martin County Lady Cardinals lost 92-55 to No. 2-ranked North Laurel of the 13th Region in the first round of the WYMT Food City Mountain Classic Dec. 7 but bounced back to defeat No. 2-ranked Owsley County 76-72 in the consolation game Friday.
The 37th annual tournament was played at Knott County High School in Hindman.
Below is a recap of the action.
NL 92, MC 55
Martin County got off to a good start in the first quarter and kept pace with the North Laurel Jaguars. The Lady Cards trailed 19-15 at the end of the frame.
The momentum shifted in the second quarter. The Jaguars went with a quicker lineup, a major factor in the game, and scored 29 points to go up 46-25 at the half. Brooke Nichelson, the No. 1 player in the 13th Region, hit six 3-pointers in the second quarter to help North Laurel put the game out of reach.
“North Laurel just came out on fire in the second quarter,” Martin County coach Robin Newsome said. “They can flat-out shoot the ball—not just one of them, but all of them. We have to do a better job on defense and covering the 3-point shot. The Nichelson kid is the real deal. She’s a very nice player.”
She added. “Our kids fought hard and never quit. We just ran into a good team that shot lights out.”
Katie Marcum led Martin County with 21 points and eight rebounds, Laken Williams finished with 17 points and four rebounds, Maci Maynard added four points and pulled down five rebounds, Alyssa Allen chipped in five points and four rebounds, Chloe May and Kennadi Mollette flipped in three points each, and Brooke Marcum finished with two points and four boards.
Nichelson scored 42 points to lead North Laurel, Haley Combs added 18, Gracie McNight scored nine, Chloe McNight and Hannah Jackson each flipped in six, Eden Begley, Bella Brown, Jaelyn Black chipped in three each, and Emma Carl finished with two.
The loss moved the Lady Cards to the consolation bracket to face Owsley County.
MC 76, OC 72
Senior Laken Williams scored 32 points in Martin County’s 76-72 win over top-ranked Owsley County Friday night in the WYMT Classic consolation game.
The lead changed hands several times in the first quarter, with the Owsley Owls in front 19-15 at the horn.
The Lady Cards played better defense in the second quarter, holding the Owls to 12 points. Williams fired in 15 points to lead the Lady Cards to a 37-31 lead at the end of the frame.
Martin County kept the momentum in the third quarter, landing 21 points and a 58-51 lead.
Despite a fierce comeback attempt by the Lady Owls in the fourth quarter, the Lady Cards held firm to secure the hard-fought victory.
Coach Robin Newsome was proud of her team for being undeterred by the tough loss to North Laurel earlier in the week.
“They came out ready to play,” Newsome said. “We could have laid down after that loss, but our kids came out fighting to beat a very good Owsley County team. It was a total team win.”
Williams led with 32 points and was named to the WYMT All-Tournament team. Senior Katie Marcum finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior Alyssa Allen finished with 10 points and two rebounds. Eighth-grader Maci Maynard played big minutes, scoring eight points and leading the Lady Cardinals in rebounds with 12. Sophomore Chloe May flipped in seven points and pulled down two rebounds, while senior Kennadi Mollette scored six and grabbed four rebounds. Mollette also had the job of guarding the No. 1 player in the 14th Region, Carley Smith.
“Kennadi did an excellent job of holding Smith well below her average and was a big key in pulling out the win,” said Coach Newsome. “Laken also stepped up her defense and held Addison Terry well under her average.”
Sophomore Brooke Marcum recorded three rebounds and four steals.
The Lady Cards moved to 5-1 on the season. Their schedule this week includes Magoffin County at home Dec. 11 and Paintsville at home Thursday.
They will head to the three-day Central Bank Jim Rose Classic this weekend at Lexington Christian, where they will take on Spencer County at noon Saturday, Mercer County at 1:45 p.m. Sunday and Letcher County Central at noon Monday.
After Christmas, Dec. 27-29, the Lady Cards will play in the Smoky Mountain Winter Classic at Gatlinburg-Pittman.