The 2022 edition of the Blake Martin Memorial Alumni game raised more than $3,000 Saturday for the Green River Animal Shelter.
Played at Adair County High School’s John Burr Memorial Gym and presented by our friends over at the Tribe44 Podcast, Will Rich’s red team emerged victorious in a surprisingly intense contest over Clay Turner’s gray team. The final score was 67 to 62.
“I thought it went great,” Rich said. “I just want to thank the people of Adair County who kind of showed out and really did a good job of keeping Blake’s memory alive and commemorating him. All the players, coaches, sponsors, you guys at The County Line, everybody kind of worked together to make this an awesome event — we’re kind of blown away by it.”
Prior to the game, Martin’s family — parents, David and Cathy; sister, McKenzie; wife, Haley; and sons, Asher and Avery, were recognized at half court. The proceeds went to the animal shelter this year because it was a cause Blake, a 2005 ACHS grad and hoops standout, always supported.
Red team forward Luke Janes (ACHS ’22) led all scorers with 18 points, and his teammate Kevin Bridgewaters (ACHS ’03) poured in 17, all in the second half. Nick Fudge (ACHS ’09) added 13 for the red squad, coached by Daniel Hedges, and Chris Lewis (ACHS ’07) hit double figures with 10.
Kalen Kimberland (ACHS ’08) led the offensive charge for the gray team with 17 points. Jordan Simpson (ACHS ’19) was the only other gray team member to hit double figures, scoring 14. Deron Breeze served as the gray team’s head coach, assisted by Kyle Burton and Brice Starks.
“I was right, and my team won, but it was a really close game,” Rich added. “I was surprised with how close it was. My team let Clay’s team kind of stay around longer than they should have, which made me nervous, but it was overall a great day. I just can’t say enough about all the people involved.”
A full video of the game’s action is below. Click here to see The County Line’s photo gallery for the event.
