BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
SALYERSVILLE — Martin County did not waste time finding its rhythm on the road Feb. 5. The Cardinals hit the gas early and never let up in a 92-54 blitz of Magoffin County to remain undefeated in the 57th District.
After the fast start, Martin County head coach Jason “JJ” James credited his team for responding the right way from the opening tip.
“I was a little worried about coming out for a slow start,” James said. “But I’m proud of them. We came out playing hard, hit our first few shots to get the momentum going, and it carried over from there. We flew around on defense and shared the ball really well.”
Magoffin County scored first, but the Cardinals answered immediately. Bryson Dials hit a 3, then Eli Mills followed by stringing music from deep for a 6-2 Martin County lead. Mills buried another 3 and Braxton Keathley drilled one from the wing to make it 12-6. Keathley’s step-back 3 stretched it to 15-6 and forced a Magoffin timeout.
“We try to shoot it early and often,” James said. “Of course, Braxton is such a great one-on-one player and can shoot the ball. He’s almost impossible to stop. There are great shooters around him, great players, and they play such a huge role.”
Magoffin trimmed it at the free-throw line after drawing a foul on a 3, but Martin County did not let up. Keathley stepped into a pass and splashed another to keep the Cards rolling 18-9. Brayden Marcum picked a pass clean and fired ahead to Keathley for two, then Keathley found Mills on the wing for another 3 and a 23-11 lead late in the first.
After a Magoffin free throw, Mills knocked down yet another trey to send the Cardinals into the second quarter up 26-12.
Mills stayed scorching to start the second, drilling a 3 on the first trip down the floor. Keathley answered with two, then threaded a baseline pass to Devan Maynard for a finish at the rim that made it 33-14. That prompted another Magoffin timeout.
A trap at the top by Mills and Marcum created another turnover, and Marcum’s steal turned into a Keathley dunk for an 18-point lead.
Keathley said the Cardinals’ execution made the early run possible.
“My guys find me in open spots,” he said.
Dials kept the pressure on with buckets in the lane, and Keathley continued to pour it in, including a pull-up 3 from the top of the key. Another Marcum steal led to two more for Keathley, then Dials broke right and finished in the lane as Martin County pushed the halftime advantage to 51-27.
Keathley pointed to preparation as the difference.
“From the work I put in every day—my dad and I get in the gym two or three times a day—I get confidence to make the big-time plays,” Keathley said. “That’s what we work on.”
The Cardinals opened the second half with the same edge. Keathley buried a 3 followed by Alan Moore scoring at the rim. Mills buried another 3 and Keathley connected from the corner as the lead ballooned.
Magoffin County received a technical and Dials calmly hit both shots before Keathley added two free throws, pushing the margin to 72-40.
Keathley later scored through traffic, then stepped across half court and pulled the trigger on another deep 3 to make it 77-44. Maynard followed with a free throw and later hammered home a putback dunk. Dials jumped a pass, stole it and stepped back for a 3 as the Cards ended the third quarter firmly in control.
Keathley turned the spotlight toward his teammates.
“Bryson played unbelievably tonight,” said Keathley. “Devan got a big-time dunk; he’s fun to watch. Eli couldn’t miss tonight. Marcum had a crazy amount of steals. Big Al came up big and made some crucial moves in the paint.”
Martin County finished it off in the fourth. Moore scored in transition, Luke Preece turned a steal into a bucket, and Jayden Yates knocked down a 3 to set the final score.
Keathley led all scorers with 42 points, finishing 15-of-21 from the field, 7-of-12 from 3 and 5-for-5 at the line.
Mills was automatic beyond the arc with six 3s for 18 points, along with three assists and two steals. Dials posted 15 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. Moore added six points and seven rebounds. Maynard had five points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Marcum supplied a spark defensively with eight steals and four assists, while Preece and Yates scored three apiece.
With the recent weather reshuffling upcoming games, Keathley said Martin County’s focus will not change as the Cardinals move into the final stretch of district play.
“It’s great to get a win on the road and get the sweep,” he said. “We have to play hard and take care of business in the final district games.”
Keathley said the Cardinals plan to keep their edge sharp, no matter when the next tipoff comes.
“I think we’re going to live in the gym and be ready,” he added. “We’ve been practicing hard every day. We’ll be ready to go.”
Martin County improved to 15-6 on the season, 8-0 in regional play and 5-0 in district play.
The Cardinals will host Paintsville on senior night, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. They will host Johnson Central, Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. On Sunday, Jan. 15, Martin County will welcome Hazard to Inez at 3 p.m.
The Cards hit the road the following day, Monday, Feb. 16, to take on Pike Central at 7:30 p.m. Their final regular-season game will be at Shelby Valley, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
