BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — The Martin County Cardinals cruised to an 87-66 senior night victory over the Magoffin County Hornets on Feb. 18 in Inez.
With 12 Cardinals in the scoring column, Martin County’s balanced point production proved too much for the visiting Hornets.
The squad is ranked second in Kentucky, with an average of 77.8 points per contest.
“We had a big crowd tonight despite the flooding. I’d like to send prayers out to everyone affected,” senior Skyler Morrison said after his final game on the Martin County floor.
“We’ve been working hard and getting back in a rhythm,” he added.
Known for hyping up the team and providing energy, Morrison nailed a 3-pointer to put Martin County on the board in his first start of the season.
The red and white’s offense clicked from the opening tip as they shot a blistering 50.7% from the field.
The team’s mantra of hitting from the perimeter came through in the district matchup, with 10 three-pointers falling.
The state’s eighth-leading scorer Parker Watts led the scoring charge alongside Bryson Dials for the Cardinals, each pouring in 21 points.
Dials converted 8 of 12 field goal attempts and 2 of 3 three-point attempts. He also went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Devan Maynard contributed 12 points shooting 6-7 from the field. He pulled five rebounds down for Martin County.
Brayden Estep dominated the glass for the Cardinals, pulling down eight rebounds. He hit for six points on the night.
Peyton Davis continued his stellar play and scored double digits firing in 10 points and grabbing three rebounds. Davis is ranked 40th in the state making 2.8 three-pointers per game.
Eli Mills, Brayden Marcum, Aiden Armstrong, and Morrison each hit a shot from downtown for three points.
“It was a good feeling to get this win tonight,” Armstrong commented after the district win. “I’ve been playing basketball all of my life and came to Martin County this year. It’s sad to play this last game, and it hasn’t set in yet.”
Braxton Maynard and Tanner Jennings came off the bench to score a bucket.
After major surgery and doctors telling him he may never play again, BJ Parsley nailed a shot from the charity stripe on his senior night.
“Before going into this game, we knew what was at stake,” Parsley confidently said after earning a three-way tie for first place. “This is the most competitive district in the region. Getting this 57th District win on senior night makes it even better.”
The journey back to the court was not easy but Parsley’s determination never wavered.
“It was tough to step back out on the court after my surgery. I fought through it and I’m glad I did. There’s no other team I’d rather be a part of. After my doctor told me that I healed better than he’d ever seen, seeing the guys win All ‘A’ Region and going to Rupp—I wanted to be a part of that again.”
Martin County was in a three-way tie with Paintsville and Johnson Central for first in the 57th District. A drawing earned the Cards a 3-seed against Paintsville in the first round of the 57th District Tournament on Feb. 25 at Magoffin County High School. (Details were not available at press time.) The winner of that game will advance to the championship game Thursday at 7:30 p.m., taking on the winner of Tuesday’s game between 1-seed Johnson Central and 4-seed Magoffin.
