BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
HAZARD — The WYMT Food City Mountain Basketball Classic was an even wash for the Martin County Cardinals as they won once and lost once.
The Cardinals downed Hazard in the fifth-place consolation game after dropping a close contest to Breathitt County in first-round tournament play.
Both games were played at Perry County Central in Hazard. Below is a recap of the Martin County action.
Cards upset Hazard
Martin County upset 14th Region powerhouse Hazard 63-57 Saturday in the WYMT Mountain Classic fifth-place consolation game at Perry County High School. The Cardinals came home with the road win and a fifth-place tournament finish.
The Cardinals trailed after the first quarter 18-13 but fought back in the second quarter to outscore the Bulldogs 21-13 for a 34-31 halftime lead. Junior point guard Dray Duff scored nine of his 11 points to help put the Cardinals up. Peyton Davis gave valuable minutes off the bench to sink a deuce and a 3-pointer in the first half.
Luke Hale proved too much for the Bulldogs in the third as he tickled the twine for his fourth 3-pointer of the game. The Cards went on to outscore the Bulldogs 16-14 to go up 50-45 heading into the final quarter.
The Cardinals Zone defense gave Hazard problems the entire game, while the Cardinals outscored the Bulldogs in every quarter except the first.
When the horn sounded, Coach Jason James’ squad came away with a huge upset.
“I think this was a big-time win for these guys. I’m not sure they know how good of a basketball team they just beat in Hazard,” said James. “I am really proud of my team. They did a great job of sticking together and finishing the game off. We have a special group of guys, and we are going to be a very tough outfit in February and March.”
Hale led the Cardinals with 19 points and five boards and was 4-of-8 behind the arch.
Davis proved to be an essential difference in the game. He gave the Cards a huge lift from the bench, pouring in 13 points, four assists and four steals.
Duff finished with 11 points, nine coming in the first half. He also dished out 10 assists to finish with a double-double.
Jacob Sturgell added eight points and three boards.
Senior Matt Linville flipped in six points, pulled down five boards and made three blocks.
Brayden McKenzie finished with three points and four rebounds. Blake Maynard finished with three points, two rebounds and two blocks.
Leading the way for the Hazard Bulldogs, Jamel Hazell netted 21 points. London Smith followed with 14, Caudill added 10, Max Johnson punched in seven and Evin Eversole finished with five.
The young Cardinals improved to 3-2 on the season.
Cards fall to Breathitt
Martin County opened first-round play in the WYMT Classic against the 14th Region Breathitt County Bobcats and dropped a 50-47 decision Dec. 6.
This low-scoring contest went down to the wire. However, the Bobcats, one of the top teams in the 14th Region featuring a top 25 player in the state in Austin Perry, held on for the win.
The Cardinals played much of the game without senior Matt Linville, who suffered from a severe migraine.
Martin County jumped out 12-8 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams played even in the second quarter 16-16, and the Cardinals were up at the half 28-24. Luke Hale paced the Cardinals with 13 first-half points knocking down three treys.
The third quarter started, but Hale had to go to the locker room due to sickness. He returned to the lineup late in the third, but the Cardinals had lost momentum and would only score seven third-quarter points.
Martin County trailed 38-35 going into the fourth quarter. The Cardinals fought hard and bounced back to take the lead, but after missed free throws and a layup, Breathitt went in front for good, going up by seven.
Both teams scored 12-12 in the fourth as Breathitt County hung on for the win.
Martin County got off a last-second three but missed.
Coach Jason James was proud of his Cardinals.
“They had their chances to win the game. We got down 7, battled back, took the lead, but we just couldn’t finish the game out,” said James.
“We knew it was going to be a tough test. Breathitt County is one of the best teams in the mountains and was All-A State Runner-up last season,” he added.
“We are really close to being a good team. We need to play games like this in December.”
Hale led the Cardinals with 16 points, scoring 13 in the first half. Brayden McKenzie followed with 11 points, Dray Duff added nine points and six assists, Blake Maynard added six points and led the team in rebounds with seven, and Jacob Sturgill chipped in five points and five boards.
Christian Collins led all scorers with 17 points for Breathitt County. Luke Bellamy followed with 10, Andrew Combs added eight, Austin Sperry had six, Bryce Hoskins pitched in five and Isaac Bellamy finished with four.
