BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PIKEVILLE — Braxton Keathley erupted for 27 second-half points and Devan Maynard delivered a dominant double-double as Martin County mounted a furious comeback from a double-digit deficit. The Cardinals closed strong to defeat rival Paintsville 72-63 Monday night in the opening round of the 15th Region All ‘A’ Classic at Appalachian Wireless Arena.
Coach Jason “JJ” James’ Cardinals trailed 33-25 at halftime and 48-45 entering the fourth, but used a Keathley takeover to secure their ticket to the next round.
“Paintsville came out and punched us in the mouth,” James said. “We hadn’t played since last Monday so I expected a little rust – just not that bad. But we responded well.”
Martin County’s first-quarter highlight came just before the horn. With the clock winding down, Bryson Dials swung a pass to Maynard on the wing. The senior buried a 3-pointer with two seconds left to give the Cardinals a boost and pull them back into the game, down 16-8 after one.
Maynard carried that momentum into the second stanza. He scored eight points in the quarter as Martin County opened with a 6-2 run. Brayden Marcum provided a jolt with a shot from deep and a bucket. A push-ahead from Maynard to a cutting Marcum forced a Paintsville timeout midway through the period.
Paintsville answered quickly. Two Tiger 3’s and two free throws pushed the lead back out to 10 in a hurry. The Tigers were up 12 with under 30 seconds remaining in the half.
Martin County stitched together a closing sequence that kept the game from slipping away. A Maynard bucket inside, then a Dials steal and finish at the buzzer trimmed the margin to 33-25 at halftime.
The third quarter belonged to Keathley. The junior guard poured in 14 points in the period and repeatedly attacked the rim to keep Martin County within striking distance. His bucket with 40 seconds left pulled the Cardinals to within one at 46-45. Paintsville answered with a rebound and putback to take a 48-45 lead into the fourth.
The Cardinals finally caught even early in the last stanza. With 5:03 left, Dials inbounded to Keathley in the corner and Keathley drilled a 3-pointer to tie it – the first since 0-0.
Moments later, Keathley produced the play that gave Martin County its first lead of the night. Under four minutes to go, he slipped to the basket for an up-and-under finish to put the Cardinals in front 58-56. A Dials block on the defensive end kept the surge rolling.
With 2:30 remaining, Maynard found Marcum parked in the corner and Marcum buried a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 61-58. Keathley then knocked down two free throws with 1:52 on the clock for a 63-58 cushion – the Cardinals’ largest lead to that point.
Paintsville hit two free throws to cut it back to three, but Martin County’s defense and composure at the line closed the door. Dials came up with a steal and converted two free throws with just under a minute remaining to kick-start a 9-3 closing run. Marcum later stole the ball with the Cardinals up five to help seal the win.
“I thought Keathley was incredible out of the break,” James said. “Twenty-seven of his 31 points came in the second half.”
The coach also praised Maynard, Dials and Marcum.
“Devan was everywhere on defense to go along with 17 points,” said James. “Bryson was clutch with free throws down the stretch and taking care of the ball. And Marcum, I can’t say enough about. He impacts the game so much and that 3 was huge in the fourth.”
Keathley finished 12-of-21 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, for 31 points. He added six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Maynard had 17 points at a 62% clip from the floor along with 10 rebounds to round out the double-double. He also had six assists, two steals and two blocks.
Dials scored 14 points and added three rebounds, four assists and three steals. Marcum chipped in 10 points and came up huge on the defensive end with five steals. He also dished out two assists.
Alan Moore pulled down a board and Eli Mill came up with a steal.
The next round of the All ‘A’ will see the Cardinals face off against Belfry (7-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Appalachian Wireless Arena. The Pirates defeated Betsy Layne 73-52 Monday night.
“We will do a better job of getting them ready and hopefully get them off to a faster start,” James said. “Going to be a tough game, but I do feel like we are starting to hit our stride.”
The winner will advance to the final at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12.
