BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
OWENSBORO — Martin County (12-6) came out of the gate hot at the Owensboro Sportscenter, but Walton-Verona (13-7) weathered the early punch, caught fire from 3-point range and ended the Cardinals’ run with a 66-59 win Friday in the second round of the state All “A” Classic.
Martin County led 18-12 after the first quarter and carried a 32-31 advantage into halftime. Walton-Verona flipped the script in the third quarter, using a 13-2 run to take control and build a 48-43 lead heading to the fourth before closing it out, 66-59.
“We started off good, but we weren’t hitting them like before,” Martin County coach Jason “JJ” James recalled. “We had an off-night shooting. They were good defensively and made it tough on us. We had a hard time finding the basket.”
The Cardinals struck first when Devan Maynard found Eli Mills on the wing. He banked in a 3-ball just 13 seconds into the game. The next trip, Dials picked a pocket and dropped a smooth layup to make it 5-0. Neither team scored for four minutes until Dials swiped another steal and finished with a Euro-step at the 3:44 mark.
Marcum did what he does best in the full-court press, jumping a passing lane for a steal, then powering through contact for an old-fashioned three-point play.
The Bearcats did not get on the board until 2:57 of the first.
Martin County answered again when Dials delivered the feed to Mills in the corner.
After Alan Moore set a screen and handed it off, Mills opened up off the pick and buried another three to make it 18-9 before Walton-Verona closed the quarter with a triple to make it 18-12.
Martin County stayed in front early in the second. Maynard finished a tough one in the paint, and Marcum followed it up by attacking the closeout for a bucket at the rim. But foul trouble began to mount for Maynard, who picked up his third foul on a charge, and Walton-Verona kept trimming the deficit.
Keathley did not score until 5:13 in the second quarter, but when he did, he delivered a response. The junior hit a reverse layup through three defenders that stopped the slide.
Walton-Verona tied it on a 3-pointer and took its first lead coming out of a Martin County timeout, but Keathley answered with an off-balance bank shot. Moments later, Moore handed off to Keathley at the top of the key and he buried the trey to put the Cardinals back on top.
The lead changed hands again late in the half. Keathley beat the scrambling rotation for a left-handed layup. After Chase Hinkle grabbed a rebound in traffic, Keathley attacked the rim, drew a foul and hit a free throw to send Martin County to the locker room up 32-31.
Walton-Verona delivered the decisive run after halftime.
Keathley opened the second half with a bucket off the glass for a 34-31 lead, but the Bearcats answered and took the lead for good. Walton-Verona rattled off three straight 3-pointers during a 13-2 surge, pushing the margin to 48-38 with 1:10 left in the third.
Mills buried a top-of-the-key three coming out of a timeout, and Maynard powered through heavy contact to finish before the quarter ended, cutting it to 48-43.
“They played hard,” James recalled. “Devan getting in foul trouble hurt us. It knocked us out of our flow.”
Martin County made one last push behind Keathley. Dials found him early in the fourth to cut it to 48-45, but Walton-Verona answered at the rim and from deep to stretch the lead back out.
Dials ended a scoring drought by angling right into the lane for two through contact. Marcum answered with a wing three to trim it again. Keathley banked in a long jumper that hit every part of the rim before dropping.
Keathley followed with another finish, then slid in a runner to make it 62-57 with just over two minutes left. Walton-Verona broke the press for a key bucket, and Martin County couldn’t make a run.
The closing seconds turned tense. A technical foul on Maynard ended his night with 13 seconds remaining, and officials separated players after words were exchanged. Walton-Verona dribbled out the clock, and the teams did not shake hands after the final horn with the Verona coach instructing his players to exit the floor.
Keathley led Martin County with 23 points and nearly dragged the Cardinals back on the glass, grabbing a team-high nine rebounds to go with an assist and a steal. The junior went 9-of-23 from the floor, knocking down two treys.
Mills was automatic from deep, stringing music at the 3 with four triples on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range to finish with 12 points. He grabbed a steal and rebound.
Dials tallied 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting. He added three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Marcum flashed brightly on the defensive end with six steals, eight points and a rebound.
Maynard finished with six points, going 3-for-3 from inside the arc. He handed out four assists, pulled down two rebounds and swiped a steal before foul trouble limited his minutes.
Moore chipped in four rebounds and two assists.
Martin County shot 42.1% from the field (24 of 57), went 7 of 21 from 3-point range and made 4 of 7 free throws.
“Any time you’re in the final eight, it’s going to be a good experience,” James said. “We wanted more, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’m glad we were there. I believe it’s going to help us get ready for the district and region tournament.”
Martin County’s schedule is in limbo due to the snow and ice this week. The Cards have Shelby Valley on tap for Jan. 28 at Shelby Valley at 7:30 p.m. On Jan. 30, they will host 57th District rival Johnson Central at 8 p.m., followed by Paintsville at home Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
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