Basketball Game Preview: Martin County Cardinals vs. Johnson Central Golden Eagles

Martin County and Johnson Central are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The Martin County Cardinals will be playing in front of their home fans against the Johnson Central Golden Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Last Tuesday, Martin County earned a 78-65 win over Magoffin County. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' Kentucky basketball rankings (they are ranked 37th, while the Hornets are ranked 208th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Johnson Central beat Lawrence County 86-77 on Tuesday.

Johnson Central's win came from a few key players Martin County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brayden Shepherd, who went 7 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 35 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Slone, who dropped a triple-double on 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists.

Johnson Central now has a winning record of 8-7. As for Martin County, their victory bumped their record up to 14-4.

Martin County beat Johnson Central 103-94 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Does Martin County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Johnson Central turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.