BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PRESTONSBURG — Martin County Middle School brought the brooms to Adams on Aug. 25. The Lady Cardinals swept all three games.
The A team rolled to a 34-10 win. The B team won 25-10. The C team completed the sweep with a 29-7 victory.
The A team win was Martin County’s fifth in its last six games.
Martin County’s pressure defense set the tone from the opening tip.
Braylee Horn buried a trey to start the scoring. Harper Runyon then drove to the basket for two to give Martin County a 5-2 lead.
Paige Stafford pushed the ball in transition and found Kenleigh Estep for a layup. Adams called a timeout with the Lady Cards ahead 7-2.
The pressure kept coming.
Runyon forced a turnover in the full-court press. Estep then came away with a steal before Horn drove into the paint for two.
Martha Maynard grabbed a rebound on the next stretch. Runyon followed with a crossover and took it to the rack for an 11-2 lead.
Maynard came up with a steal moments later. Estep then worked under the basket and wrapped a pass around to Maynard for the finish.
Estep stepped into a passing lane for another steal and took it the other way for a layup.
Stafford then started heating up.
She buried a shot from downtown to make it 18-4. Runyon followed with a steal in the press and found Stafford for another bucket.
Stafford used a ball fake at the top of the key on the next trip. The defender flew by and Stafford stepped inside for the jumper.
One of the best plays of the night came just before halftime. Runyon chased down a ball headed out of bounds and tossed it behind her head to Stafford. Stafford finished with a floater to send Martin County into the break with a 24-4 lead.
Stafford stayed aggressive after halftime. She scored on a step-through before coming up with a steal and taking it the other way for a layup while drawing contact.
Horn followed with her second 3-ball of the game from the corner.
Stafford added another steal and layup in the fourth as Martin County closed out the 34-10 victory.
Stafford led all scorers with 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Horn followed with eight points and knocked down two treys. Estep scored five points, Runyon added four and Maynard finished with two.
Runyon led Martin County with seven rebounds. The Lady Cards finished with 13 boards as a team.
Martin County also moved the ball well. The Lady Cards handed out nine assists on 15 made baskets.
The defense was just as strong. Martin County forced 14 turnovers and committed only five.
The Lady Cards shot 48% from the field.
Martin County has now won five of its last six A-team games. The Lady Cards have beaten Paintsville, Salyersville, Betsy Layne, Phelps and Adams during the stretch. Their only loss came to Pikeville 28-24 when they were missing some starters.
Brooklyn Nichols led Martin County’s B team to a 25-10 win. She hit double digits with 10 points and knocked down two triples. Aubrey Wilson added six points, Harper Howell scored five and Sarah McCoy chipped in four.
McKenna Fletcher led the Lady Cards with five rebounds. Martin County controlled the glass with 24 rebounds compared to nine for Adams.
The Lady Cards led 8-3 after the first quarter and took a 10-6 advantage into halftime. They pulled away after the break and outscored Adams 8-2 in the fourth.
Martin County’s C team wasted no time taking control.
The Lady Cards opened the game with 10 straight points. Harper Howell led the scoring with 12 points. She went 6-for-7 from the field.
Nichols added 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting. She also led the team with six rebounds.
Wilson scored five points and Fletcher added two.
Martin County shot 76% from the field after connecting on 13 of 17 attempts.
The Lady Cards also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.
They committed only four turnovers in the 29-7 win.
Martin County was scheduled to play at Pikeville on Tuesday night, looking for revenge.
The Lady Cards will host Belfry at 6 p.m. Thursday.