BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PIKEVILLE — Braxton Keathley joined the 2,500-point club in a big way Friday night. The two-way guard buried an ice-cold 3-ball as time expired in overtime to lift Martin County (9-5) past Belfry (9-5) 81-78 at Appalachian Wireless Arena.
The Cardinals are heading back to the 15th Region All “A” championship game for the fourth straight year, Monday at 8 p.m.
“We knew if they went man, we were going to go 1-4 flat and let Braxton go,” Martin County coach Jason “JJ” James recalled. “They showed zone, we adjusted. He’s a great player. In these last two games he’s stepped up in the second half. He’s a big-time player; that was a big-time shot.”
Keathley is the first player in the class of 2027 in Kentucky to reach the 2,500 mark. He is the third in the nation and the only player to do it with over 650 rebounds.
The Pirates came out of the gate with a 5-2 lead, but Martin County answered by passing the rock and finding clean looks. Eli Mills flashed brightly with a corner 3 to even it at 7 halfway through the first quarter.
Belfry nudged back in front 12-9, but Dials answered from 3-point range, then followed it up by stringing music again from the wing with 2:43 left to give Martin County its first lead of the game.
It did not hold long. Devan Maynard picked up two quick fouls and would sit the rest of the half, while Belfry capitalized to regain control.
The Pirates were ahead 20-15 with under a minute in the quarter when Keathley found daylight amid the trees for two quick scores near the rim. With Belfry still holding the edge, Mills and Brayden Marcum trapped near midcourt, Dials picked off a pass and converted at the buzzer to cap a 6-2 run. Belfry still led 22-21 after one.
The second quarter turned spicy in a hurry. Belfry opened with a 3, and Dials answered immediately with a long-range shot of his own. The Cardinals regained the lead when Dials pulled up from near the UPike logo at midcourt and let it fly.
Dials later netted his fifth triple with 2:30 left before halftime to ignite a 12-4 closing run. Martin County carried a 47-39 lead into the break, with Dials tallying all 22 of his points in the first two quarters.
Martin County’s first score out of halftime came off a smooth Keathley drive. He got into the lane and delivered a bounce pass between two defenders. Alan Moore was the beneficiary of a nice dish from Keathley for two easy points from the block.
Belfry answered with back-to-back 3s to tie it at 49 and force a Cardinal timeout with 4:53 left in the third.
Martin County clicked after the stoppage. The Cardinals closed the quarter on an 11-4 run and took a 60-53 lead into the fourth.
The Red and White stretched it again early in the final period, building a nine-point cushion at 68-59 with just over five minutes remaining. Belfry ripped off a 7-0 run to cut it to 68-66 to put the game back on a single possession.
With 13 seconds left in regulation, Marcum stepped to the stripe and sank the first free throw. His second rattled around, touching every side of the rim, before popping out. Belfry secured the rebound, called a timeout with 10 seconds left in the frontcourt and drew up its final look.
Martin County had two fouls to give and used them to run six seconds off the clock. Belfry inbounded and still found space on the wing and buried a 3 at the buzzer to force overtime, tied 69-69.
The Pirates carried that momentum into the extra period. They knocked down a 3 near their own bench for the first points of overtime. Keathley answered by converting two free throws.
Dials grabbed a rebound and pushed ahead in transition on the following possession. With the feed, he found Keathley for a finish in the lane that put Martin County back in front 73-72 briefly.
Belfry hit another 3 to regain the advantage, and Keathley answered again at the stripe to tie it at 75.
Moments later, a Belfry foot on the sideline led to a turnover. Maynard drove into the paint and kicked to Marcum in the corner near the Martin County bench. Marcum buried the clutch 3, nothing but nylon, with 1:14 left as the Cardinal sideline erupted.
Belfry was not finished. The Pirates knocked down yet another 3 to tie it at 78-78 with 42 seconds left, setting up a final possession.
Martin County held for one shot and called a timeout with 16 seconds remaining. Coach James set up an isolation for Keathley.
Keathley handled heavy pressure at the top, momentarily lost his handle, regained control and rose with a hand in his face.
“I got the ball and was like, ‘Kobe time,’” Keathley said.
The shot ripped through and the buzzer sounded with the Cardinal faithful erupting behind the bench.
The crowd was oblivious but Keathley was just ready to grab some grub.
“Just get out and get the W,” he said. “I just wanted to get home, really. I was tired and I wanted to get our guys home and get something good to eat.”
He poured in 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting and went 8-of-9 at the line. He racked up four steals, six rebounds and three assists.
Bryson Dials dropped 22 points, all in the first half, and tickled the twine five times from deep. He stuffed the stat sheet with three rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Dials is no stranger to the big stage. He came ready to play.
“The mindset is to win and out-battle them through four quarters on both ends of the floor,” Dials said. “I adjusted by getting everyone else involved in the second half. I took bad shots down the stretch. As a leader on the court, I can’t do that. I have to make sure we get the best shot possible.”
On the win to advance to the finals, “It feels great moving on,” he added. “Belfry was a great team, one of the best in the 15th. It was a battle and we survived. We have guys who have been in this game year in and year out.”
Mills was on fire from outside the arc. He finished with 15 points on five treys. He also added three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Moore chipped in six points on 3-of-3 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. He grabbed a steal.
Maynard recorded six assists, five rebounds, a block and a steal.
Marcum finished with seven points and six steals.
“I saw Devan and I knew I had to be ready,” Marcum said of his clutch 3 in overtime. He believes his teammates were the key. “We pulled out the win with team ball; we played great together tonight. We were slacking on defense, but Coach called a timeout and we came back out and got after it.”
From the sideline, Coach James saw another difference-maker shaping the outcome.
“I’m so happy for Brayden,” James said. “We were not in the position to win that game without him. He’s everywhere on defense and an X factor.”
Martin County won the All “A” Region title last year and advanced to the state tournament. The Cardinals will try to repeat Monday against Pikeville (11-1) at 8 p.m. at the Expo Center.
