BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Eden Elementary’s boys basketball is starting to hit its stride. The Wildcats put together a three-game win streak last week, opening with a 42-27 win at Inez, edging Tug Valley 46-42 at home, then overpowering Boyd County’s sixth grade 64-31 on the road.
Jan. 7 – Eden 42, Inez 27: Kaiden Bertling sparked the streak with a dominant two-way performance, scoring 23 points while adding eight steals, seven rebounds and two assists.
Eden led 20-17 at halftime, then broke the game open late. Leading 32-27, the Wildcats reeled off a 10-0 run and slammed the door in the fourth quarter to outscore Inez 15-3 down the stretch.
Eden’s pressure defense fueled the finish with 14 steals and three blocked shots. The Wildcats controlled the glass with 44 rebounds.
Parker Stafford hauled in 18 rebounds to go with eight points, two blocks, two assists and a steal. Jonah Mills added six points, seven rebounds and a block. Brock Fields chipped in five points, five rebounds and three steals. Blaine Williams contributed five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Kash Howell had himself a night and poured in 14 points to lead the way for the Indians. Rocco Maynard added seven points, Jayce McCoy fired in four, and Bentlee Copley finished with two.
Jan. 8 – Eden 46, Tug Valley 42: The next night, Stafford took over with a double-double with 25 points and 18 rebounds. He also had three steals and a block.
After falling behind 7-6, Eden answered with an 11-2 run and carried an 18-15 lead into halftime. Tug Valley mounted a second-half rally using a 9-0 burst to grab the lead. Eden finished strong again with a 12-6 run in the fourth quarter to seal it.
Mills scored 12 points with eight rebounds and an assist. Bertling had four points, four assists, five steals and three rebounds. Fields finished with four points, two rebounds and two assists. Williams added four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Jan. 10 – Eden 64, Boyd County 31: Stafford led the way again and added another double-double to his résumé with 24 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
Fields scored 10 points with four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Bertling added six points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals and a block.
Williams chipped in seven points and was a defensive menace with seven steals, along with six rebounds and four assists.
Beckam Spaulding had two points, two steals and a rebound. Declan Meade added three steals and a rebound. Mills chipped in three rebounds and a steal.
The Martin County elementary tournament was set to begin Tuesday night with the C team. The A and B team first round is scheduled for Wednesday with the championship games Thursday at Warfield Middle School.
The Wildcats have handled the Indians by double digits in all three games this season by 17 points, 18 points and 15 points.
Both teams have defeated Warfield by considerable margins.
Warfield did not provide any stats for this week’s edition.