BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PAINTSVILLE — In a matchup of two 57th District powerhouse programs Friday the Martin County Cardinals secured a commanding 80-68 win over the Paintsville Tigers at Paintsville.

The win moved the Cardinals to 2-0 in district conference play.

The Cardinals applied relentless pressure defense from the tipoff, jumping out to an 8-0 lead over the Tigers and forcing Paintsville to call a timeout with 6:13 remaining in the first quarter.

Paintsville struggled offensively and did not score until the 3:55 mark. The Tigers found themselves trailing 16-2 with 3:19 left.

Brayden McKenzie fired in nine points to help put the Cardinals up 20-8 at the end of the quarter.

Martin County came out cold in the second quarter, shooting 2-11 and committing several unforced turnovers. Paintsville rallied to cut the deficit to 27-22 before the half.

Whatever Martin County coach Jason James conveyed to his team during the halftime break proved effective. The Cardinals came out hot in the third quarter and scored 31 points.

Paintsville briefly cut the lead to 31-28 with 6:40 left in the third. A Cardinal run fueled by senior Luke Hale’s 13 points, including three treys, gave Martin County a 58-40 advantage going into the fourth quarter.

Paintsville fought back with a 28-point fourth quarter, but the Cardinals maintained their lead for the win.

The Cardinals hit a blistering 14 for 17 free throws for 82%.

Hale led Martin County with a game-high 26 points. Brayden McKenzie followed with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Jacob Sturgell added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Peyton Davis netted double figures with 10 points, Devan Maynard contributed eight points, and Bryson Dials chipped in two.

Ethan Cole led Paintsville with 23 points, Anderson Lauffer finished with 22, Jase Kinner added 10, Ethan Ward netted nine, Parker Helton flipped in three, and Brock Woods chipped in one.

Martin County was on the road Tuesday to Magoffin County for a boys-girls doubleheader.