BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PIKEVILLE — Martin County (6-4) exploded out of the gate and built a 19-point lead, but Paintsville’s Kylie Kinner proved to be the Achilles’ heel for Martin County. She fueled a comeback as the Lady Tigers (11-4) pulled away late for a 68-63 win Jan. 6 at Appalachian Wireless Arena in the first round of the 15th Region All ‘A’ Classic.
“We played great coming out of the gate. The kids were ready,” Martin County coach Robin Newsome said.
Maci Maynard’s kickout to Sophie Harless for a wing 3-pointer put Martin County on the board first. Annaleigh Davis followed with a floater as the Lady Cardinals jumped out 5-0. Davis later knocked down a step-back jumper to stretch the margin to 15-3.
Martin County kept rolling in the opening quarter. Maynard hit two free throws with just over a minute remaining in the first to make it 22-8. Senior Chloe May found Makenna Marcum at the top of the key late in the period for a 27-11 lead heading into the second.
Ten seconds into the second quarter, May drove into the lane, spun and dished to Harless for another 3-pointer – Martin County’s biggest lead of the game at 30-11.
Paintsville answered quickly. Kinner ignited a 13-2 run in under three minutes as the Lady Tigers capitalized on turnovers and sped the game up with pressure. Chloe May hit a corner runner to slow the surge, and Martin County pushed the lead back to 12 at 38-26 with 1:30 left in the half before Paintsville scored late to make it 38-28 at the break.
“We struggled with Paintsville’s pressure and committed too many turnovers,” Newsome said. “We have to learn to value every possession and bring that down to win the big games.”
Paintsville continued to chip away after halftime and pulled within three midway through the third quarter. Desirae Gullett buried a deep corner shot to push the lead back to five, but the Lady Tigers kept coming and tied the game at 48-all with 20 seconds left in the third – the first tie since 0-0.
Then came the moment that flipped the arena; Brooklyn Skaggs hit a half-court runner at the buzzer for Paintsville’s first lead.
Martin County responded early in the fourth. Marcum finished a runner at the rim to regain the lead at 52-51 and the Lady Cardinals opened the quarter on a 6-0 run, getting two finishes under the basket from Maynard. Marcum later drilled a 3-pointer with 4:55 left to make it 59-55.
But Kinner answered again, and Martin County went scoreless for 2 minutes and 37 seconds before May hit a tough shot to tie it 61-61. Paintsville then closed on a 7-2 run to put the game away.
“I felt the turning point in the game was Maci having to sit due to picking up her fourth foul early,” Newsome said. “She just makes a huge difference in the game on defense and offense.”
Despite the loss, Newsome said the Lady Cardinals are still finding rhythm after a banged-up holiday stretch.
“We have had some injuries over the holidays and are just now getting everyone back,” Newsome said.
Newsome said her team’s youth has to continue to grow up quickly against a demanding slate.
“We are talented, but young,” she said. “We just have to compete and keep working to get better. We have a very tough schedule ahead of us. It will only make us better. No time to hang our heads; learn from our mistakes and move on.”
May led Martin County with 17 points and seven boards. Marcum hit three shots from downtown and scored 15 points to go with a rebound.
Maynard added another double-double to her arsenal with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Harless knocked down both of her long-range shots on the night and finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
Davis scored six points and grabbed two boards. Gullett tacked on a basket for two points and secured a rebound.
Kinner scored 32 points for Paintsville, while Skaggs added 18 and McKinley Ramey scored 14.
Martin County has a tough upcoming slate. The squad was scheduled to host Floyd Central (10-4) on Jan. 13. The Lady Cards will host a 57th District game against Magoffin (7-7) on Friday before they travel to South Laurel for a matchup with Pineville (9-6) on Jan. 17. Details will be in next week’s edition. A rematch at Paintsville follows that stretch Jan. 22.