BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Braxton Keathley and Bryson Dials combined for 65 points to lead Martin County past Betsy Layne 90-69 Feb. 28 in Inez and advance in the 15th Region Tournament.
Keathley led the Cardinals with 35 points on 15-of-25 shooting, burying five 3-pointers on 11 attempts. The junior added six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Dials scored 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting, going 4-for-13 from deep and 2-for-2 at the line. The sophomore stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds, eight assists and two steals.
Martin County’s shooting depth showed up behind the stars. Brayden Marcum scored 11 points, hitting three 3-pointers and both free throws.
Eli Mills added nine points with three triples and four assists.
Chase Hinkle chipped in three points on a triple.
Devan Maynard scored two points and powered the Cardinals on the glass with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Alan Moore pulled down three boards.
As a team, the Cardinals hit 16 3-pointers and finished 34-of-72 from the field. Martin County was perfect at the stripe, going 6-for-6.
The Cards grabbed 31 rebounds.
Betsy Layne got a big night from freshman Jaxon Johnson, who scored 22 points. Eighth-grader Maddox Meade added 11 points, Ethan Lance, Caden Hall and Chandler Coleman scored eight apiece. Lance also controlled the paint with 14 rebounds as the Bobcats finished with 36 rebounds.
For Martin County coach Jason “JJ” James, the win is also about getting back into a familiar postseason setting.
“It’s definitely good to get back to the Expo,” James said. “We have played really well there over the last few years.”
The Cardinals’ path forward, he said, will depend on pairing their firepower with consistent defense as the tournament intensifies.
“Our identity has been we’re really good offensively,” said James. “We’re trying to get there defensively, and if we can be solid on defense, I think we have a chance to make some noise this week.”
Martin County (21-9, 13-2, 7-2) advances in the 15th Region Tournament bracket with the win and will take on the Belfry Pirates (21-10, 13-3, 4-1) Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville. The Cards defeated the Pirates in the All “A” Classic in January with a buzzer beater from Keathley in overtime.
