The Vikings of Rowan County traveled to Inez to take on the Martin County Cardinal in a 15th vs. 16th region battle. On this night it was all Martin County as the Cardinals defeated Rowan County 73-52.
“Cool Hand” Luke Hale led 4 Cardinals in double figures. Hale was 4-7 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the foul line on his way to scoring 14 points. Brayden McKenizie matched Hale’s 14 points. Big Man Matthew Linville added 13 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. Jacob Sturgell was the fourth and final Cardinal in double figures as he scored 12 points and 8 rebounds. Others scoring for the Cardinals were Ethan Ferrel and Peyton Davis with 5 each, Dray Duff with 4 and Bryson Dials and Blake Maynard with 3 points each.
It was the Cardinals hot shooting that led the way as they were 28-51 from the field for 54.9% and 8-16 from behind the 3 point line. The Cardinals also made the most of their visits to the charity strip as they were 9-10 as a team. The Cardinal defense was outstanding. The Cardinals held the Vikings to 43% shooting from the floor.
For Rowan County, they were led by Jayson Ingles 17 points. Next up was a trio of players who scored 6 points, Ryan Horton, Noah Edger and Christian Parker. Others scoring for the Vikings were Braiden Hammonds and Zach Watson with 4 each, Weston Maxey, Will Richardson, Slade White and Jace Winkleman with 2 a piece and Grant Rose with 1 point.
The win pushes Martin County to 7-2 on the season and 1st place in the RPI ranking for the 15th Region. Next up for the Cardinals is Buckhorn at the Hyden Citizens Bank Classic in Hyden, KY on Friday.
The loss drops the Vikings to 5-4 on the season. Next up for Rowan County, they will travel to Gatlinburg,Tn after Christmas.
Photo submitted
