BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — The Eden Wildcats cemented their dominance in the county after going back-to-back as Martin County Elementary champions at the A, B and C levels.

The following is a recap of tournament action:

A team

Eden vs Inez – The Eden Wildcats clawed their way back from a fourth-quarter deficit of 11 points with under four minutes remaining to defeat the Inez Indians in a county showdown for the A-team championship Feb. 15 at Martin County Middle School.

Inez Indian Kason Evans dished a pass to Kash Howell on the wing to open the scoring for both teams.

Jayce McCoy hit Evans on a backdoor pass. After an Eden turnover, Evans was fouled and hit both from the charity stripe to take a 7-0 lead.

The Wildcats answered when Kaiden Bertling swished a corner jump shot. Brock Fields scored through contact and hit for a jumper on the next possession to pull Eden within one to end the first quarter.

Howell came out of the huddle firing away from deep again.

Fields hit for two to keep the Cats within striking distance.

Evans continued his stellar play after scoring four points in a row for Inez.

Eden’s Jonah Mills jumped in on the action after powering his way up for a basket.

McCoy nailed a runner from the corner in the back-and-forth affair.

Zander Sammons inbounded the ball for the Cats to a cutting Parker Stafford who went up for two.

With time winding down in the half, Stafford sunk a short corner jumper.

Inez halted the run when Rocco Maynard floated between defenders to send the Indians to the locker room with an 18-14 lead.

Evans fired in four points, Kayden McCoy scored a bucket, and Howell tickled the twine for another three from beyond the arc to outscore the Cats 9-2 in the third quarter.

Down 27-16 to begin the final stanza, Eden had their work cut out for them.

Stafford, unbeknownst to everyone, began the comeback of the year with a turnaround jumper in the lane after Blaine Williams dumped a pass over the defense.

A Stafford block led to Fields banking in a shot to pull the Cats within seven points with 3:30 remaining.

After an Inez turnover, Fields faked the corner three and drove between three Indians for a basket.

On the ensuing possession, Bertling dribbled into the zone and passed the rock to Stafford off the block for an automatic two points.

The Wildcat faithful came alive as the momentum had shifted and Eden was back in the game down only three points halfway through the fourth.

Coming out of a timeout, Evans silenced the crowd briefly and put Inez back on the board after he toed the line and calmly sank two free throws.

Sammons took the inbound pass, dribbled down the floor, and found Fields on the wing. He drove and banked in a runner.

Williams denied an Inez shot before Eden found their way back down the court. A Sammons inbound to Stafford led to two free-throw attempts.

After hitting one-of-two at the line, the Cats were within two points.

A Bertling pickoff at midcourt led to a charge and Inez possession with just over a minute remaining.

The Indians threw up a shot and Sammons grabbed the rebound under the basket. He turned the jets on and drove coast-to-coast for a lay-up to knot the game up at 29 with time ticking away.

With the Wildcat fans on their feet, an Inez turnover at midcourt gave Eden possession with 37.7 seconds showing on the clock.

Eden coaches Bruce Jr. Endicott and Shane Stafford called a timeout to talk to their squad.

Coming out of the huddle, the Cats ran some time off the ticker before Williams drove into the paint drawing defenders toward him. With Inez collapsing, he threaded the needle and delivered a pass to Stafford on the block to score the go-ahead game-winning shot under 15 seconds.

Sammons intercepted a pass at midcourt and Williams bought Eden some time with two rebounds while Cats fans held their breath. A final shot for Inez missed the mark and the blue and white erupted as Eden completed the comeback for the Martin County A-team championship.

Stafford and Fields led the Cats with 12 points each. Sammons finished with three points, and Bertling and Mills each added a bucket.

Inez Indian’s Evans had himself a night and led all scorers with 14 points. Howell notched nine points nailing three shots from deep.

Maynard and the McCoy twins each dropped in a basket.

Inez vs Warfield – The Indians faced off against the Red Devils in Warfield on Feb. 10 to decide who would advance to the championship game. Inez turned up the heat in the second quarter to move on with a 42-23 final score.

Dwayne Puckett tacked on the first points when he hit a three for Warfield.

Inez went on a 13-2 run after Kason Evans went on a scoring rampage. He fired in nine points and Jayce McCoy swished in two shots.

Jayce Hinkle answered for the Red Devils and Puckett bucketed another.

Inez entered the second period with a 15-9 lead.

The Indians unleashed Rocco Maynard. He exploded for nine and Kash Howell hit a shot for a 28-15 halftime lead.

Inez cruised in the second half to advance to the finals.

Maynard and Evans led all scorers with 13 points each. Jayce McCoy fired in six points. Kayden McCoy nailed four.

Howell and Brentley Marcum each added a bucket.

Puckett led the Red Devils with nine points. Aiden Endicott fired in seven points. Hinkle contributed with five points. Jackson Ray pitched in with two.

B Team

Eden vs Inez – The Wildcats pulled away in the second half for a 21-12 score to capture the B-team county championship on Saturday in Warfield.

Six Wildcats scored in the balanced attack. Kingston Deskins dropped in six points. Declan Meade flipped in five points. Jaxon Maynard fired in a three-ball and finished with four points. Lyric Howell, Beckham Spaulding, and Grey Newsome each hit a basket.

Brantley Marcum fired in six points to lead the Indians. Raylan Preston scored four from the charity stripe. Bentlee Copley flipped in two points.

Inez vs Warfield – The Indians advanced to the finals after defeating the Red Devils 23-4 in the Martin County tournament on Feb. 10 at MCMS.

Raylan Preston led the way with nine points. Brantley Marcum fired in eight points. Bentlee Copley bucketed four and Aidan Maynard tickled the twine for two.

Jackson Ray flipped in three points for Warfield. Ian Greene sank a free throw for one.

C Team

Eden vs Inez – The Cats controlled the game from tipoff to bring home the C-team Martin County championship at Inez Elementary on Feb. 5 with a 40-7 win.

After jumping out to a 16-4 lead, the Cats went on a 16-point run and never looked back.

Eden pulled down 42 rebounds and stole the ball 18 times.

Tyler Allen was near a triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and eight steals.

Charlie Burke fired in 16 points, alongside seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Axel Jude bucketed four points, pulled down four boards, and picked a pocket for a steal.

Collin Endicott grabbed nine boards off the glass, scored two points and had one assist, steal and block.

John Hinkle scored two points and had three steals, two rebounds and a block.

Hunter Sheppard racked up six rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Luke Lawson led the Indians with four points. Chandler Maynard fired in a shot for two and Ashton Haney nailed a free throw.

Inez vs Warfield – The Indians outscored the Red Devils 8-0 in the fourth quarter to advance to the championship game on Feb. 5 in Inez.

Inez Indian Luke Lawson went off for a team-high 15 points. Aidan Hall poured in four points. Chandler Maynard and Elijah Endicott each chipped in two points.

Jackson Ray led the Red Devils with eight points. Karson Hinkle flipped in four points. Kayden Adkins nailed a shot for two. Easton Smith scored a free throw.