CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
INEZ — The Martin County Lady Cardinals defeated Betsy Layne 64-54 to clinch their spot in the 15th Region tournament. The two teams battled Saturday at Martin County High School.
The Lady Cards, the two-seed in the regional tournament, faced off against a familiar rival in the Betsy Layne Bobcats, the fourth seed out of the 58th District. Martin County had defeated Betsy Layne 64-60 in a home game Feb. 19.
The stakes were high in this contest: the loser would go home and the winner would advance to regional quarterfinals Monday against 15th Region favorite Pikeville at the Appalachian Wireless Arena.
The Lady Cards wasted no time jumping out to a 15-10 lead in the first quarter, fueled by the scoring of the Marcums, Katie and Brooke, each contributing six points.
Building on their momentum, the Lady Cards extended the lead to 25-18 by halftime, with Kennadi Mollett and Chloe May sinking 3-pointers in the second quarter.
Senior point guard Laken Williams had a slow start in the first half, scoring one point, but erupted in the third quarter for 13 points to lift Martin County to a 43-35 advantage.
Martin County continued the offensive onslaught in the final period, adding 21 points to the final score and securing their place in the regional tournament.
The momentum carried into the final quarter as the Lady Cards continued their offensive onslaught, adding 21 points to secure a 64-54 victory, punching their ticket to the 15th Regional Tournament scheduled March 4-11, to be held at the Appalachian Wireless Arena.
Martin County coach Robin Newsome commented on the task ahead in the new “super region” format.
“I’m thankful to make it to the region, but going in as a two-seed in the new super region format is not an easy road,” Newsome said. “We played three big games in one week: Paintsville, Johnson Central and Betsy Layne. We only had one day to prepare for Betsy Layne and one day to prepare for Pikeville heading into the region. My team is running on fumes, playing four huge games in just eight days. We have a huge task before us, but if anyone can do it, this group can.”
Williams scored 19 points and grabbed nine boards to lead Martin County. Brooke Marcum knocked down three treys for 13 points, Katie Marcum finished with nine points and nine boards, Alyssa Allen added eight points, Chloe May netted six points, Kennadi Mollette picked up five points and Maci Maynard flipped in four.
Jaden Pente led Betsy Layne with 19 points, Jayden Jarrell finished with 11, Haleigh Damron added 10, Macy Collins netted four and Karly Williams chipped in three.
The Lady Cards shot 49% from the field and 60% from the free-throw line, hitting 12 of 20 free throws. They kept turnovers to 10 and dished out 17 assists.
