Marcum fires in six from long range
BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PAINTSVILLE — Martin County Middle School girls basketball teams earned decisive victories at Paintsville on Aug. 14. Makenna Marcum raised the summer temperature even higher after she drained six 3s to lead the A-team to a 41-18 win. The B-team handed the Tigers a 27-12 loss.
The A-team set the tone early, with Zoe Sammons connecting with Marcum for a three-pointer just 45 seconds into the game to put Martin County ahead 3-0.
The red-hot shooter stayed lit when she hit two more to give the Cards a 9-0 lead.
Marcum battled a double team but drove in for a layup to make it 11-2.
Bradlyne Stafford jumped into the box-score after she faked and dribbled past a defender to extend the lead to 13-4.
A Marcum steal and pass to Alivia Stacy resulted in two points before an out-of-bounds play from Stacy to Marcum under the basket added another two.
Stacy went on to nail a three-pointer with defenders closing in.
Kennedy Mills banked in two more to keep the Cardinals comfortably ahead.
The third quarter featured more scoring bursts as Marcum hit early for two, followed by a Sammon steal and kick-out to Marcum for three.
Marcum added consecutive three-pointers on the next two plays.
A Stacy steal and layup made it 37-12. The eighth grader is known for being tenacious on defense.
“If I don’t get it the first time, I just keep at it and try harder on the next play,” she said.
Stafford secured a ball from going out of bounds and scored two, finishing the sequence at 39-16.
Marcum finished leading all scorers with a scorching 22 points on six shots from deep.
Stacy poured in nine points and Stafford fired in four.
Kenleigh Estep, Mills, and KB Muncy each bucketed two points.
The B-team started out hot after firing off a quick 10 points.
Paintsville pulled within 10-4 in the second quarter, but Braylee Horn hit a three from the wing to start another Cardinal run.
A reverse-ball play found Paige Stafford in the corner with three seconds left in the quarter. She faked and drove in to beat the buzzer.
The quick-witted guard later added points from the free-throw line and a corner jumper to push the lead to 18-5.
Martin County’s defense stepped up on the press after Harper Runyon swiped a steal and passed ahead to Estep for a tough layup.
Paintsville answered with a 5-0 run, but Runyon’s steal led to a P. Stafford layup as the quarter expired.
Runyon kept the momentum going after she hit a long two from the corner to make it 24-12 in the final quarter.
P. Stafford capped off the scoring with a steal and 3-pointer from the wing. She finished the night with a cool 16 points.
Horn knocked down two shots from behind the arc to finish with six points. Runyon contributed three points, while Estep added a bucket.
The squad will host a home game at MCMS on Thursday. The team was scheduled for two other home games this past week. Details weren’t available at the press deadline.
