article Inside the 13th Region (02-06-17)

1. Knox Central (18-5 overall, 9-2 vs. 13th Region competition)

The Panthers are the real deal, and become the fourth different team int he 13th Region to claim the top spot this season. Knox Central has now won six games in a row thanks to a high-octane offense attack led by Markelle Turner and Wade Liford. The Panthers haven’t played the toughest of schedules in the 13th Region, but they’ve shown that they are the region’s best team at the present time. They do get a chance to show just how good they are with upcoming games against Clay County, Cordia and North Laurel coming up.

2. Corbin (19-4, 11-2)

The Redhounds are rolling currently with an impressive five-game win streak. Corbin scored 90 points twice during the five-game span, including an impressive 92-74 win over All ‘A’ Classic champion Paris, 92-74. Junior guard Andrew Taylor continues to show he’s one of the best players around by scoring 41 points in the game along with pulling down 17 rebounds. Corbin will be tested Tuesday on the road against Harlan County and will face another tough opponent next week on the road against North Laurel when the region’s top two players (Taylor and Peyton Broughton) will meet up.

3. Harlan County (25-2, 12-1)

The Black Bears continue to fly under the radar and remain the region’s hottest team with an eight-game win streak. Harlan County continues to shine without the services of Anthony Nolan, as the duo of Cameran Carmical and Treyce Spurlock continue to lead the way. Andrew Creech has also stepped up in Nolan’s absence and provided quality playing time.

4. North Laurel (21-5, 10-3)

The Jaguars got the signature win they needed by knocking off cross-town rival South Laurel at home, 78-75 in overtime. Bryan Gray’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave his team the win while extending North Laurel’s win streak to three games. The jaguars will get to see just how good they are in the next two weeks with games against Corbin and Knox Central.

5. South Laurel (20-6, 9-2)

The defending 13th Region champions didn’t have a good week. First off, they dropped a 78-75 decision in overtime against rival North Laurel and followed with another loss less than 24 hours later to Lexington Sayre. But that’s not all that happened. The Cardinals lost starter JJ Ramey’s services after the first quarter during Saturday’s game against Sayre due to an ankle injury along with role player Logan Madden. Both are expected to miss at least a couple of games, which isn’t good because the Cardinals will play on the road against defending state champion Dunbar on Tuesday.

6. Clay County (13-10, 8-5)

The Tigers have been able to play the 13th Region’s elite teams pretty darn close. They have close losses to Harlan County (58-53), Corbin (73-67), South Laurel (71-63) and North Laurel (60-50) while also beating the Jaguars as well, 72-63. They’ll be tested Tuesday against the region’s No. 1 ranked team — Knox Central.

7. Whitley County (8-16, 3-11)

If the Colonels can ever get healthy this team will be hard to deal with. Junior guard Corey Johnson is one of the best players in the region — no doubt about it. The Colonels just need some positive things to happen. They have dropped seven games in a row and haven’t won since Jan. 19.

8. Lynn Camp (15-8, 8-3)

The Wildcats have been a different team since the addition of Tanner Boggs. Lynn Camp has now won four games in a row and will be tested Tuesday with a road game against North Laurel.

9. Pineville (16-6, 10-2)

The Mountain Lions are a team that’s been hard to figure out this season. They’ve got a nice record, but have struggled at times. They had to go into overtime before finally beating OBI at home, 71-64.

10. Harlan (13-10, 6-5)

The Green Dragons continue to improve and have won five of their last seven games.

11. Bell County (11-15, 4-8)

The Bobcats remain a team to keep an eye on. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bell County hang tough with South Laurel Friday.

12. Barbourville (10-13, 6-8)

The Tigers have had a week off since their upset win over Whitley County. Can they keep it going?

13. Jackson County (12-13, 5-10)

The Generals are another team that is hard to figure out. They almost had wins over both Lynn Camp and Clay County this past week.

14. Williamsburg (4-16, 3-9)

The Yellow Jackets are riding a four-game losing skid.

15. OBI (6-14, 2-13)

The Mountaineers picked up a big win over Red Bird and almost upset Pinevilel this past week.

16. Red Bird (8-15, 2-13)

The Cardinals continue their inconsistent ways.

17. Middlesboro (3-18, 1-12)

The Yellow Jackets have lost four games in a row and 12 of their last 13.

I'll still take South Laurel to cut down the nets.

They def. have the talent to. If they don't get healthy, they might not get past district play if they draw Whitley County.