CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
INEZ — The Martin County Lady Cardinals lost a closely contested battle for a three-peat 57th District championship to Johnson Central 51-46. The title game took place Feb. 28 at Martin County High School.
Fresh off a tournament opening-round victory over Paintsville 56-41 two days earlier, the Lady Cardinals were looking for their third title in a row against the 26-2 Lady Eagles.
A capacity crowd gathered to witness the battle between the two rivals who had split a pair of games during the regular season, setting the stage for a tense rematch.
From the opening tipoff, the Lady Cards encountered relentless defensive pressure and hand checks from the Lady Eagles. Despite a slow offensive start, Martin County’s defense kept the Lady Cards in the game. They trailed 12-11 at the end of the first quarter, while the score was tied 21-21 at halftime.
Martin County struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first half and faced a challenge heading into the third quarter. Meanwhile, Johnson Central outscored Martin County 14-9 in the third quarter to take a 35-31 lead.
As the fourth quarter unfolded, the Lady Cards found themselves trailing by 10 points with just two minutes remaining. Still confident, they mounted a comeback, applying intense defensive pressure and forcing turnovers to narrow the deficit to three points, but time ran out on their effort.
Reflecting on the game, Martin County coach Robin Newsome praised her team.
“My kids fought hard and tried to finish,” Newsome said. “I’m proud of them; they never quit. We just ran out of gas. The Paintsville game took a lot out of us.”
Laken Williams poured in 27 points to lead Martin County. Brooke Marcum and Chloe May contributed six points each, Alyssa Allen chipped in four, Katie Marcum scored two, and Macie Maynard scored one.
For the Lady Eagles, Karlea Stanley and Maddie Prater led the scoring with 10 points apiece, followed closely by Kaylyn McKenzie and Sophie Younce with nine each. Taylor McKenzie contributed five points, while Becca Wright, Haylee Marisillett and Adyson Burchett each added two points.