CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
LEXINGTON — Martin County Middle School coach Kevin Dials took the boys seventh-grade basketball team to play in the KBC Middle School State Tournament Feb. 3-5 in Lexington. Martin County went 3-2 and made it to the Sweet 16 out of 67 teams.
The Cardinals lost a heartbreaker on a tip-in at the last second and missed the Elite 8.
Below is a short recap of all five games.
MC defeats LC 46-35
The Martin County seventh grade basketball team played Laure County on Feb. 3 for their first game in the 2023 middle school state championship. Martin County defeated Laure 46-35 in the first game of the state tournament.
Martin County jumped out 15-8 in the first quarter over Laure County. Chase Hinkle scored seven points and Bryson Bryson Dials scored six to get the Cardinals off and running.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter scoring single digits. Dials kept the Cardinals close with his six points. Martin County won the quarter 8-5 and was up 23-13 at the half.
The teams played even in the third, scoring nine points each. Martin County was up 32-22 going into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals won the final frame 14-13 behind 11 points from Dials.
Dials led the Cardinals with 28 points. Hinkle was good for eight points, Brayden Marcum added six, and Aiden Copeland and Jaxson Pack each flipped in two.
MC drops SO 49-34
Martin County dropped South Oldham 49-34 on Feb. 4 in the second game of the state tournament. Dials dropped 31 points to lead all scorers.
Martin County Cardinals jumped out on South Oldham County 12-7 at the end of one. Copeland knocked down two treys for six points in the first.
Martin County took a 25-15 lead in at the half. The Cardinals never looked back in this one keeping the lead the whole game. After three quarters, the Cardinals were up 37-25.
Martin County held Oldham County to three single-digit quarters to pull away with a 49-34 win. The Cardinals were 5-for-7 from the free-throw line.
Dials led Martin County with 31 points, Copeland added nine points, and Pack, Hinkle and Marcum each added two points.
Cards pounds McCreary
Next up for the Martin County Cardinals was McCreary County. The Cardinals pounded McCreary 62-22 on Feb. 4 in the Cardinals’ second game of the day in pool play. Martin County wasted no time, and this game was over fast.
Dials led all scorers going off for 39 points. Marcum dropped 11 points, Copeland scored eight points, and Hinkle and Pack each added two points.
Martin County went 3-0 and would move to play Lexington Catholic for their fourth game of the day.
LC squeaks by MC
The Cardinals took on a very good Lexington Catholic team on Feb. 4 for their fourth game of the day and lost a heartbreaker 55-54 on a tip-in at the buzzer.
The Cardinals were behind by two at the end of the first quarter 14-12. Three players got in the books for the Cardinals, with Dials scoring seven first-quarter points.
Both teams played even in the second quarter 14-14. The Cardinals were only down by two points at the half 28-26. Martin County had three players, Hinkle, Dylan Hale and Copeland, knock down treys in the second quarter to keep the Cardinals close.
Martin County hit five 3-pointers in the first half.
The Cardinals got outscored 16-12 in the third to go down 44-38 going into the fourth quarter.
Martin County fought hard to come back in the fourth. Dials hit a 3-pointer with 10.4 seconds to put the Cards up by one. A Lexington Catholic player drove down the lane, shot a floater and missed. A Catholic player got a tip-in as the buzzer sounded on the Cards’ heartbreaker loss.
Dials led the Cardinals with 24 points, Hinkle dropped 12 points, Copeland added 11 points, Hale flipped in five points, and Marcum finished with two points.
No scores were available for Lexington Catholic.
MC falls to SL 53-49
Martin County moved into the consolation bracket Feb. 5 to face South Laurel. This would make the Cardinals’ fifth game in less than two days. South Laurel defeated the Cardinals 53-49.
The Cardinals were down by 10 points with five minutes to go and fought back to take the lead in the fourth, but South Laurel hung on to win 53-49.
Dials led the Cardinals with 31 points, Hinkle added seven points, Copeland finished with three points, and Marcum, Hale, Noah McCoy and Pack each scored two points.
Coach Dials said, “It was fun to watch and compete and to see the smiles on the kids’ faces made it all worth it.” Dials said his kids were there to win. They fought hard and never quit. He was proud of the kids effort and sportsmanship on and off the court. He adds, “I’d like to thank everyone for making this possible for these kids to get this opportunity.”