BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
HI HAT — Martin County Middle School came out of the gate and blitzed South Floyd. The Cards had a big night from Kooper Sturgill to notch a 39-21 varsity win Nov. 13 at the Raiders’ gym.
The Cardinals set the tone early, racing out to a 12-3 lead after one behind four points each from Sturgill and Landon Estep. Chucky Leonard and Hunter Phelps chipped in to give Martin County a lead it would not relinquish.
Martin County weathered South Floyd’s attempts to cut the deficit in the second frame. Sturgill added five more points and Leonard knocked down a free throw as the Cards took an 18-10 advantage into the locker room.
The Cardinals came out locked in after halftime and pushed the margin to 33-14 by the end of the third. Sturgill continued his attack with eight points in the period. Grayson Mollette went for four points and Estep added a free throw as Martin County kept the Raiders on their heels.
The Cards wrapped it up in the fourth. Sturgill finished off his night with a shot from downtown and a free throw.
Sturgill poured in a game-high 21 points to lead the winning cause. Mollette totaled six points, Estep added five, Leonard scored three and Phelps and Kason Evans chipped in two points each. Martin County’s defense was a huge factor, holding the Raiders to single digits in every quarter.
In the junior varsity contest, South Floyd outplayed Martin County 54-37.
The Cards came out strong in the first quarter as Evans prepared for takeoff with six points. CJ Nichols buried a 3 and Bentley Chapman chipped in a bucket to give the Cards 11 points in the frame.
The Red and White added seven more before halftime. Evans converted two buckets in the second. Jonah McCoy calmly knocked down two free throws and Zander Sammons added a free throw for good measure.
Nichols, Aiden Endicott and Phelps each scored in the third as Martin County continued to battle on the road. The Cards wrapped up their night with a 13-point fourth quarter, but were unable to mount the comeback.
Evans led the Cardinals with 12 points. Sammons followed with seven. Nichols and McCoy tallied five points apiece. Phelps finished with four, and Endicott and Chapman rounded out the scoring with two each.