BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County Middle School celebrated eighth-grade night Thursday with a clean sweep of Mullins across the A, B and C girls basketball games.
The A-team led the charge with a 34-20 victory.
Makenna Marcum scored 16 points, including four three-pointers, and opened the game with three straight treys to help the Lady Cardinals jump out to a 9-0 lead.
Alivia Stacy added six points on two 3-pointers, while Zoe Sammons and Harleigh Maynard each contributed a trey.
KB Muncy and Paige Stafford scored two points apiece, and Kennedy Mills and Andi Williams each made a free throw.
The B-team followed with a 45-7 win.
Paige Stafford led all scorers with 15 points, Harper Runyon added 12 and Kenleigh Estep reached double digits with 10 points.
Braylee Horn contributed six points in the fourth quarter, and Martha Maynard added four in the paint.
The C-team capped the sweep with a 17-11 victory.
Kenleigh Estep scored six points, Jaylea Maynard added four, and Braylee Horn had three. Sarah McCoy and Kiley Messer each contributed two points.
Coach Boo Newsome praised her eighth graders for their effort.
“They came out ready to play,” she said. “Makenna and Alivia hit some big shots. They had a lot of high energy. They played fun and shared the ball. It was electric. Mullins started to come back but we had help off the bench and we got it done. We have nine eighth-graders who have a lot of playing time. They responded well when they went on a run.”
Williams was embraced by her teammates when the buzzer sounded.
“It feels good to get that score on my eighth-grade night,” she said. “My favorite thing about being here is having a team that cares about me.”
The squad is scheduled for a tournament at Mullins on Saturday with some tough competition in Pikeville, Dorton, and Louisa.
The Lady Cards defeated South Floyd on Monday night. Stats will be provided in next week’s edition.
