BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — The Martin County Cardinals topped Paintsville 77-58 in front of a packed Martin County gymnasium Feb. 27 in the opening round of the 57th District Tournament.
Senior Luke Hale scorched the nets for 43 points to lead the Cardinals.
On this night, fans were as loud as they have been all season, filling the house to see the third encounter between the two teams. Martin County defeated the Tigers in two regular season games.
Paintsville took a 20-17 lead in the first quarter despite Hale’s on-fire performance that included three 3-pointers and 11 total points in the period.
The Cardinals staged a strong comeback in the second quarter and led 35-32 by halftime. Hale continued his dominant play and had tallied 20 points before the break.
Martin County rallied for 27 points in the third quarter and established a convincing 61-42 lead. Again, Hale was relentless and added 15 points in the third.
The two opponents each scored 16 points in the final quarter as the Cardinals cruised to the win.
The Cardinals displayed solid offense, shooting 49% from the field. Hale contributed seven of a dozen 3-pointers at 58% accuracy. Jacob Sturgell led the team with six rebounds.
Hale led all scorers with 43 points for Martin County. Sturgell followed with 14 points, Brayden McKenzie scored eight, Peyton Davis contributed five, Devan Maynard added four and Bryson Dials tossed in three.
For Paintsville, Jase Kinner led with 19 points, followed by Ethan Cole with 13. Allen Maycen scored six points, Ethan Ward and Parker Helton five each, Anderson Laffer four, Brock Woods three and Colt Short one.
The victory advanced the Cardinals to the championship game Thursday against Magoffin County. (See the related story.)
