BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PIKEVILLE — The Martin County Cardinals took down the East Ridge Warriors 85-58 in the first round of the 15th Region All “A” Classic. The game took place Saturday at the Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville.
Parker Watts continued his dominance on the court with 27 points and five rebounds.
“I thought we played really well against them out of the gate,” Martin County Coach Jason “JJ” James said. “We wanted to start fast and send a statement in the early going.”
The Cardinals did just that with a 37-16 lead after the first quarter behind the scoring of six players.
Young gun Bryson Dials had himself a night as he recorded a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
Martin County’s QB1 Devan Maynard fired in 12 points on 71% shooting and pulled down six boards.
The Cardinals were making it rain after hitting 12 3-pointers on the day. It has become their M.O. for this season.
In a manner of doing things, Brayden Estep has recorded at least 10 rebounds in every game Martin County has played. This one was no different. He was just shy of the double-double with nine points.
Peyton Davis put up solid numbers with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Cardinal Eli Mills fired in eight points and pulled down three off the glass.
Alan Moore, Brayden Marcum and Jaxson Pack each chipped in with a bucket.
Pack hit the boards with six on the day while Moore picked one off the backboard.
Martin County outrebounded East Ridge 50-26.
The Cards will take on Prestonsburg, a team that has picked up steam as of late and defeated Pikeville over the weekend.
“We just have to be ready to play from the start,” Coach James said of the upcoming matchup. “We want to keep the pace up for 32 minutes. I think if we can play a high-scoring game it will be tough for them to beat us.”
The second round versus Prestonsburg tips off Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The winner will play either Shelby Valley or Paintsville in the championship Saturday at 7 p.m.