BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PAINTSVILLE — Martin County, making its fifth straight appearance in the district title game and seeking its fifth consecutive championship, finished as 57th District runner-up for the 2025-26 season. The Cards entered the tournament as the top seed after securing the regular-season title, but fell to Johnson Central 93-79 in the finals.

Junior Braxton Keathley led the Cardinals with 38 points, knocking down 5 of 11 3-pointers and finishing 14 of 33 from the field with five free throws. He also had three assists and three steals.

Senior Devan Maynard added 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. He handed out an assist and swiped a steal.

Brayden Marcum scored 13, going 5 of 7 from the field including 3 of 5 from deep. On the defensive side, he had a block and a steal.

Point-guard Bryson Dials scored seven points, dished out four assists, and grabbed two steals. Senior Alan Moore flipped in six points and handed out an assist.

Eli Mills secured three rebounds and swatted a shot.

Martin County shot 43.7% from the field (31 of 71), including 31.0% from 3-point range (9 of 29), and made 8 of 10 free throws (80.0%). The Cardinals finished with 34 total rebounds.

Johnson Central shot 57.4% from the field, including 52.6% from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles finished with 38 rebounds.

Brayden Shepherd led Johnson Central with 29 points, going 7-for-8 inside the arc and 3-for-5 from deep, while adding six rebounds. Austin Slone scored 20 points on 50% shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. Ethan Cole added 14 points. Mason McKenzie contributed 13 points and Cooper Blair chipped in eight points.