BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PAINTSVILLE — Braxton Keathley scored 39 points and Bryson Dials added 26 as Martin County defeated Paintsville 85-77 on the road Feb. 3. The Cardinals jumped out early and held off a late Tigers rally to remain undefeated in district play.
Keathley set the tone from the jump with a turnaround, step-back three to hit the scoreboard first. He followed it up by rising above a defender with a hand in his face for a long two before Paintsville’s Brock Woods got the Tigers on the board.
The first quarter quickly turned into a back-and-forth fight. Alan Moore flashed brightly with a steal and a block on back-to-back possessions as the Cardinals turned defense into points.
Paintsville answered with a 3 to take a 7-5 lead halfway through the opening period.
Martin County did not blink. Devan Maynard knifed through the lane to tie it. Brayden Marcum delivered a pass to Maynard at the top of the key and he buried the 3-ball to put the Cardinals back in front 10-9.
Eli Mills then picked a Tiger pocket out top and finished at the rim.
Woods answered with a rebound and put back to regain the lead for Paintsville, 13-12.
Maynard came up with a block on the other end, kicked it ahead to Dials and found Marcum in the corner with the feed for a 3 near the Paintsville bench. That swung the lead back to Martin County 15-13.
After Woods tied it at the line, Keathley attacked the paint with a smooth one-handed runner in the lane to regain the lead. Dials capped the quarter with a steal and twisting finish over a defender as Martin County grabbed a 19-15 edge after one.
Keathley stayed locked in to open the second quarter. He pulled up in the lane to stretch the lead to 21-15. Paintsville continued to counter behind Woods, who rattled off a trio of 3-pointers to put the Tigers back in front 27-25.
Martin County did not let the Tigers breathe. Dials converted a floater coming off a handoff from Maynard to tie it. After Woods buried another triple to make it 30-27, Keathley muscled home a bucket on the block to cut the deficit.
Mills then faked, attacked the close-out and floated one through the middle of the lane to put Martin County back on top. Dials put a defender in a blender and finished at the rim to make it 33-30, forcing a Tiger timeout.
Coming out of the huddle, Marcum jumped a pass for a steal and delivered a pass ahead to Keathley for a layup. Dials kept the run alive by stepping into a deep 3 across half-court. The 11-3 Martin County burst opened up an eight-point cushion. Keathley later powered it back up with a rebound-and-putback to stretch it to 40-31.
Martin County took a 40-33 lead into the locker room at halftime despite turning it over in the final minute.
Woods tallied 23 first-half points for Paintsville.
For Martin County, Keathley had 17 and Dials had 11 at the break.
Martin County clicked coming out of halftime. Dials started the third quarter by taking it himself with a steal and score. Maynard grabbed a rebound and fired the length of the floor with the feed to Dials at the block for two to push the lead to 44-33.
Paintsville answered with two quick baskets but Keathley and Maynard responded in combination. Keathley finished at the rim, then Maynard powered through the lane on a spin move to make it 48-37 and force another Tiger timeout.
The Cardinals kept their foot on the gas. Keathley backed his man down and spun for two, then Marcum buried a corner 3. At the halfway point of the third, Dials found Keathley running the floor and zipped a full-court pass ahead for an easy finish. The 11-2 surge gave Martin County its biggest lead at 16 points.
Paintsville tried to punch back with an and-one from Woods and a 3-pointer from Preston Slone, but Keathley responded. He banked in a tough finish with his off hand, then swiped a steal and stopped-and-popped for a trey to stretch the lead to 60-44.
Keathley stayed in rhythm with a pull-up jumper, then another spin move in the lane. Marcum pivoted into his role and finished the quarter with a steal and layup to send Martin County to the fourth up 66-51.
Dials opened the final period with a runner in the lane to push the margin to a 17-point lead – but Paintsville had one more rally. Woods helped spark the comeback with free throws and a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays to cut the deficit to 71-65 with four minutes remaining.
After Dials converted at the line, Marcum forced a quick steal and hit Keathley ahead for a layup to push the lead back to 10.
Paintsville refused to go away. Anderson Lauffer twisted in an acrobatic reverse layup, then Slone buried a 3 up top at the two-minute mark to slice it to 77-73, the closest it had been since the opening quarter.
Marcum answered with two huge free throws. Paintsville’s Woods kicked out to Andrew Meeks, who drilled a 3 with just over a minute left to tighten it to 79-76 and force a Cardinal timeout.
Dials recovered a loose ball out of the timeout and finished in the lane. Paintsville’s Woods hit one free throw with 34 seconds left to cut it to 81-77. Keathley answered at the line with two clutch makes to stretch the lead back to six. Martin County forced a turnover on the Tigers’ next possession, and Eli Mills sealed it with two free throws in the final seconds.
Keathley poured in 39 points on 16-of-27 shooting and added six rebounds and two steals to lead Martin County. Dials tallied 26 points while shooting 11-of-15 from the field. He rounded out his all-around line with three rebounds, four assists and five steals.
Maynard chipped in seven points, grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and swiped three steals. Marcum scored seven points on 2-of-3 shooting, dished out two assists and recorded five steals.
Mills finished with six points, one rebound, one assist and three steals. Moore contributed three rebounds and a steal.
The Cards will play Independence (Coal City) out of West Virginia at the Williamson Fieldhouse on Friday. Head Coach Jason “JJ” James will return home with his squad against Ashland Blazer on Monday, Feb. 9.
