BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

Braxton Keathley added two of the state’s top postseason honors to his standout junior season, earning first-team recognition on the Lexington Herald-Leader Boys’ All-State Team and being named MaxPreps Kentucky Player of the Year.

The Martin County star guard turned in one of the most prolific seasons in Kentucky, leading the Cardinals to a 22-10 record, a 15th Region All “A” championship and a trip to the 15th Region Tournament semifinals.

The 6-foot-4 junior averaged 33.1 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in the state, while also posting 9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals per contest.

Keathley shot 56.6% from the field and 47.1% from 3-point range on more than 250 attempts. He averaged 3.5 made 3-pointers per game, ranking 10th in Kentucky, and shot 85.5% from the free-throw line, the ninth-best mark in the state.

He scored 1,060 points this season alone, pushing his career total past 3,000 points.

Keathley topped the 40-point mark eight times this season, including a 44-point outburst against Johnson Central.

His dominant junior campaign has also drawn heavy interest from the college ranks. Keathley has reported scholarship offers from Eastern Kentucky, Ohio, Bowling Green, Pacific, Southeast Missouri State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UT Martin. He has also made unofficial visits to Kentucky, Louisville and other Division I programs.

Keathley is now under consideration for the MaxPreps All-America Team, which is expected to be announced later this month.

The MaxPreps Kentucky Player of the Year honor has previously gone to future NBA players such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown and Cade Cunningham. Recent Kentucky recipients include Reed Sheppard, Travis Perry and Malachi Moreno.