CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
Martin County Lady Cardinals stretched their win streak to seven with victories over Tug Valley, Magoffin County and Belfry last week.
Martin County won at home versus Tug Valley by a 68-33 score Jan. 30, at conference rival Magoffin County by a 65-53 margin Feb. 1 and at Belfry Friday, 56-45.
The three triumphs moved Martin County to 19-4 on the season and 5-1 in district play.
The Lady Cards will face Johnson Central in a 57th District matchup Wednesday (Feb. 8) in Inez in game 1 of a boys/girls doubleheader. The girls tip off at 6 p.m., while the boys tip off at 7:30 against Johnson Central.
Below is a recap of last week’s action.
Lady Cardinals tame Panthers 68-33
INEZ — Martin County wasted no time taming the Tug Valley Panthers 68-33 in a game Jan. 30 in Inez.
The Lady Cardinals exploded out of the gate scoring 26 points to go up 26-2 at the end of the first quarter. Five Lady Cards got in the books, with freshman Brooke Marcum leading the way with nine points.
Martin County scored 24 points in the second quarter to stretch the lead to 50-15 at halftime.
The game became a running clock at the start of the third. Martin County Coach Robin Newsome called off the press and dropped back into a 2-3 zone, subbing early and often.
Both teams played even 18-18 in the third and fourth quarters, but this one was in the books. The Lady Cards moved to 17-4 on the season.
“The kids were ready to play,” Newsome said. “We jumped out early and shot the ball well, and the kids shared the basketball making the extra pass.”
Four Lady Cardinals scored double figures. B. Marcum led the way with 18 points and six boards; Laken Williams dropped 17 points, seven assists and seven boards; Alyssa Allen netted 12 points and four assists; Katie Marcum added 11 points and six rebounds. Rounding out the scoring, Kennadi Mollett and Sophie Harless each scored three points, while Bella Muncy and Candace Spaulding chipped in two points apiece.
MacKenzie Browning led Tug Valley with 18 points, Haven Deskins and Kinna Justice each netted six, Kristin Fields recorded two points and Bailee Hall added one.
The Lady Cards shot 51% from the field and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line for 100%. They shot 12-of-24 from the 3-point line for 50%. Allen went 3-of-4 and Williams fired in 4-of-6 from the 3-point line.
Lady Cardinals nail Hornets 65-53
SALYERSVILLE — Martin County Lady Cardinals traveled to Magoffin County Feb. 1 to nail the Lady Hornets 65-53 in their second 57th District matchup this season.
Martin County won the first matchup at home 56-26 on Jan. 21.
The Lady Cardinals got off to a good start and had a 17-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Laken Williams led five Lady Cards in the scoring column with six points. Katie Marcum picked up two fouls in the first quarter.
Williams fired in 12 of Martin County’s 16 second-quarter points, including two treys. The Lady Cardinals won the quarter 16-12 to push the lead to 33-19 at halftime.
The Lady Cardinals saw more foul trouble in the third as Williams picked up her third and K. Marcum her fourth. The Cardinals had a 21-point quarter going 7-of-9 from the free-throw line to go up 54-34.
Magoffin County shot 23 free throws to outscore the Lady Cards 17-11 in the fourth quarter. K. Marcum and Alyssa Allen both fouled out, while Williams and Brooke Marcum finished with four fouls each.
The Lady Cards shot 19-of-29 from the free-throw line. Magoffin County was 15-of-36 from the charity stripe.
The Lady Cards finished with 40 rebounds to Magoffin County’s 33 and tallied 15 assists and six steals. Martin County committed 17 turnovers to Magoffin’s 21.
Williams led Martin County with a game-high 25 points. K. Marcum dropped in 13 points, Allen added eight points, B. Marcum and Chloe May finished with seven apiece, Candace Spaulding netted three and Kennadi Mollett flipped in two.
Karah Lafferty led Magoffin County with 24 points, Angel Mullins dropped 10, Macy Williams finished with eight, Abby Barrett added five, Abigail Bradley netted four and Kennedy Williams flipped in two.
Lady Cards overthrow Pirates 56-45
BELFRY — Martin County Lady Cardinals traveled to Belfry on Feb. 3 to take on the Belfry Lady Pirates. The Lady Cards Caged the Pirates 56-45 for their 20th win.
The Lady Cards jumped out to a 16-8 lead in the first quarter, going 3-of-11 from the 2-point field goal range and 1-of-4 from the 3-point field goal range.
The Pirates fought back in the second quarter behind 11 points by McNamee to outscore Martin County 17-15. The Lady Cards shot 5-of-13 from the field for 36% and 2-of-9 from the 3-point line for 22%. Martin County had a 31-25 lead at the half, thanks to 12 second-quarter points by Lake Williams. Katie Marcum picked up her third foul in the second quarter.
Both teams struggled offensively in the third quarter. Martin County won the single-digit 9-8 scoring contest for a 40-33 lead heading into the final frame. Belfry scored one field goal and six points from the free-throw line.
K. Marcum got the Lady Cards going in the fourth, scoring six points before fouling out. The Cardinals outscored the Pirates 16-12 to complete the win.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we will take it,” Martin County Coach Robin Newsome said. “Belfry has some big girls, and our kids got into early foul trouble. We must continue to trust in our teammates, and other kids have to step up when people get into foul trouble.”
Belfry went 20-of-28 from the charity stripe, while the Lady Cards went 17-for-22 for 77%.
The Lady Cards shot 18-of-52 for 36% for the game and 3-of-19 from the three-point line for 16%. Belfry won the war on the boards 39-31.
Williams led all scorers with 23 points for Martin County. She also tallied seven boards and four steals. K. Marcum dropped in 10 points and pulled down five rebounds, Brooke Marcum finished with nine points, Alyssa Allen added six points and four rebounds, Kennadi Mollett scored five points and got five rebounds and three steals, Candace Spaulding flipped in two points, and Sophie Harless scored one point and grabbed three rebounds.
Clara McNamee scored 16 points to lead the Pirates. Jaaliyah Warren added eight points, Karlea Stanley finished with seven, Hope Coley six, and Maci Maynard and Kylie Deboard four each.
