BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
The Martin County Lady Cards went 2-0 last week, clipping the Johnson Central Lady Eagles on the road for their third straight district win by a 20-point margin before crushing visiting Barbourville.
The Lady Cards improved to 17-4 on the season and are 3-1 in district play.
Below is a recap of the action.
Lady Cards vs. Johnson Central
PAINTSVILLE — The Martin County Lady Cardinals traveled to Johnson Central and clipped the Eagles 66-46 for a huge district win Jan. 25.
The Eagles (16-4) came in as the No. 3 team in the state for team defense, allowing their opponents to score only 35.5 points per game. No one told the Martin County Lady Cardinals and when the horn sounded, Martin County (15-4) had put up 66 points.
Junior guard Laken Williams led the charge as she went off for 28 points for the game.
The Lady Cardinals took care of business against Johnson Central’s pressure defense, hitting 8-of-15 for 53% in the first quarter. Katie Marcum, Kennadi Mollette and Alyssa Allen knocked down treys in the first quarter for 3-of-4 from the 3-point line.
All five starters got in the books in the first quarter with Marcum leading the way with eight points. The Lady Cards had shot down the Eagles 22-12 at the end of one.
Williams went to work in the second quarter scoring 11 of her 28 points.
Martin County took a 36-23 lead in at the half.
The Lady Cardinals never let up, coming out of the locker room in the third quarter and firing in 7-of-8 from the field for 87%. Williams and Allen each knocked down two treys to go up 52-35 at the end of three.
The Lady Cards continued to scorch the nets in the fourth quarter, hitting 6-of-7 from the field for 85%.
Coach Robin Newsome’s team won all four quarters. The Lady Cards shot 61.3% from the field for the game hitting 6-of-10 three-pointers. They also won the war on the boards 33-25.
“We shot the ball the best we have all year,” Newsome said. “We had to have this one to control our own destiny in district play, and the kids stepped up and got the job done. This was a total team effort. I keep asking these kids to give more and they keep responding.”
Williams led all scorers with 28 points, shooting 70% from the field. Williams also had three boards and dished out six dimes. K. Marcum dropped 14 points and pulled down five boards. Mollette came up big tallying nine points, five boards and three assists. Allen netted eight points, six rebounds and three assists. Brooke Marcum had a great floor game finishing with five points, five steals, four boards and three assists. Candace Spaulding chipped in two points.
Kaylyn McKenzie and Sophie Younce led Johnson Central with 13 points each. McKinley Cantrell netted eight points, Becca Wright finished with four, Adyson Burchett and Haylee Marsillett each chipped in three, and Abbie Stambaugh scored two.
The Lady Cardinals played 3 district games in a row and won each by 20 points or more. With the win the Lady Cardinals go 3-1 in District play and 16-4 on the season.
Lady Cardinals vs. Barbourville
INEZ — Martin County Lady Cardinals crushed visiting Barbourville 66-32 Saturday in Inez.
Four players in double figures led the Lady Cards, including Laken Williams with a double-double 15 points and 10 assists, Brooke Marcum with 14 points, Katie Marcum with a double-double 13 points and 18 rebounds, and Alyssa Allen with 10 points.
The Lady Cardinals jumped on the Lady Tigers 21-14 in the first quarter, hitting three treys as six players got in the books.
Barbourville had a hard time finding the basket in the second quarter and scored only one basket for two points. B. Marcum and Williams led Martin County’s 21-2 charge to stretch the lead to 42-16 at the half.
The Lady Cardinals dominated the Lady Tigers in the third, scoring another 20 points and knocking down three treys to push the lead to 62-25.
The fourth quarter was a running clock. Martin County Coach Robin Newsome subbed early and often, letting all her players on the court.
The Tigers won the fourth 7-4, but the game was out of reach.
Williams fired in 15 points and recorded a season-high 10 assists for Martin County to lead all scorers. Freshman B. Marcum dropped 14 points and had five assists. K. Marcum netted 13 points and had a season-high 18 rebounds, while Allen scored 10. Rounding out the Martin County scoring, freshman Chloe May knocked down two treys for six points, Kennadi Mollette finished with five points, and freshman Sophie Harless hit a trey for three.
Layla Brock led Barbourville with 11 points, Sarah Smith scored eight, Lauren Smith netted seven, Marleigh Martin five, Danni Jordan two and Cheyenne Sizemore one.
The Lady Cardinals shot 28-for-60 for 46%. They connected on 7-of-16 three-pointers for 44%, dished out 20 assists and collected 38 rebounds.
