BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PIKEVILLE — Martin County (10-5) came out firing on all cylinders and stayed red-hot on the way to another 15th Region All “A” championship – the second in a row. The Cards hit one long-range dagger after another and finished with 14 3-pointers on their way to a 75-54 win over Pikeville (11-2) Monday night at Appalachian Wireless Arena.
“This one felt personal,” Martin County coach Jason “JJ” James said. “I feel like our guys were taking a lot of heat early in the year that they didn’t deserve. They bought in and the kids love each other. Every team takes time to gel. We flipped the script after Christmas and continued our momentum into this tournament.”
Martin County’s opening stretch set the tone. Braxton Keathley scored after the opening tip, then came right back with a shot off the glass to make it 4-0. He drilled a deep shot from the wing in front of Pikeville’s pep section, then hit a pull-up jumper to push it to 9-0 to force a quick Panther timeout.
Coming out of the huddle, Devan Maynard delivered a handoff to Mills, who tickled the twine from 3-point range. Maynard followed with another handoff. Brayden Marcum was the beneficiary of a nice dish from Maynard in the corner. He buried the 3 to push the lead to 16-5 with a minute left in the first quarter.
Maynard then kept one for himself, stringing music from the top of the key as the Cardinals carried a 19-8 lead after one.
Martin County’s momentum rolled into the second when Maynard dished out another assist to Keathley for a downtown shot to open the quarter. Marcum delivered a pass to a cutting Maynard for two and Keathley followed it up by attacking the close-out and finishing in the lane for a 26-10 advantage.
Marcum knocked down his second long-range shot halfway through the period to make it 29-12.
Pikeville’s full-court pressure turned things spicy for a stretch, sparking a 7-0 run that cut into the margin and drew a Cardinals timeout. Keathley answered with a step-back to stop the bleeding, though foul trouble arrived when Pikeville’s Wesley Buck took two charges.
Pikeville pulled within seven late in the half, but Mills silenced the crowd with another 3-ball, and Keathley weaved through the paint for a smooth lefty finish.
“Coach said it was going to be a dog fight,” Mills said. “I believed if we came out and punched them in the mouth, they would lay down and that’s exactly what happened. I put in all the work in the offseason and it’s great for it to finally pay off.”
Just before the break, Keathley pushed ahead and delivered the pass to Bryson Dials for a fast-break bucket as Martin County took a 38-29 halftime lead.
Martin County wasted no time coming out of the locker room. Mills found Dials on the wing for a shot behind the arc just 15 seconds into the third. He later drove baseline and kicked out a pass to Keathley at the top for a triple.
On the following Cardinal possession, Keathley followed with a push-ahead to Dials for a layup and a 49-32 lead.
Mills stayed on fire. He sank a 3 from the wing for a 20-point lead and forced a Pikeville timeout.
Coming out of it, Maynard fired a pass to Mills for yet another triple – Martin County’s 12th of the night – and the Cardinals were pulling away.
Pikeville got a 3-pointer from Carter Parsons to answer, but Martin County hit another run. Keathley knocked down two free throws, then out of a timeout pushed ahead to Mills for yet another shot from beyond the line to make it 60-39.
With just over 30 seconds left in the third, Keathley drove, drew the defense and kicked out to Dials for another 3 as Martin County carried firm control into the fourth.
The Cardinals kept their foot down early in the final stanza. Dials inbound to Maynard, who handed off to Keathley for a straight-line drive and finish five seconds into the quarter.
On the next sequence, Keathley drew a leaping defender and dumped it to Maynard on the block for two. Mills added a jumper inside the arc.
Martin County’s defense turned into offense again. Dials grabbed a rebound, the ball swung to Marcum and back to Dials for a bucket, then Dials jumped a passing lane for a steal and score to make it 73-48.
Maynard capped it with a backdoor cut through the lane, and Keathley delivered the pass for two more as Martin County wrapped up the 75-54 win and the All “A” crown.
“It feels great. This is a great experience for the other seniors and me,” Maynard said. “We fought hard to get here.”
Dials said he wanted the Cardinals to make a statement in the championship.
“I wanted to win big,” he said. “I think everyone saw what we are tonight. I grew up watching teams win it here, and now I’m doing it.”
Dials said sharing the moment with his father, Kevin Dials, an assistant coach on the Martin County bench, made the title even sweeter.
“It means everything,” Dials said. “I go to him for support. When I’m not feeling it, he’s always there to pick me up.”
When asked whether his team convinced people with the performance, James said Martin County carried motivation into the week.
“I think so,” he said. “There’s always going to be haters. We’ve had a lot of success. The keyboard warriors became quiet this week when they actually had to play us. We’ve hung some stuff from threads online on the board for motivation for the kids. It might have helped because we sure came out and played.”
With the All “A” regional title secured, Martin County now turns its attention to the All “A” state tournament, and Mills believes the Cardinals have a chance to make a deep run.
“We got a really good draw. We have a chance to make it to the final four, and once you make it there, anything can happen,” Mills said.
Keathley led Martin County with 26 points and a 12-rebound double-double. He added seven assists and two steals. Dials scored 17 points with six rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal. Mills also finished with 17 points while knocking down five 3-pointers to go with three assists and a steal.
Maynard added nine points on 4-for-4 shooting and filled the sheet with 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Marcum scored six points, handed out two assists and came up with four steals. Senior Alan Moore contributed two rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Mark Bowling led Pikeville with 13 points, Jackson Keene followed with 12, Grant Hall scored 10, Carter Parsons added eight, Wesley Buck finished with seven and Cole Slone had four.
Martin County will play Breathitt County (10-5) in the All “A” State tournament Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Owensboro Sportscenter.