Les Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Many are tagging the “Big Three” teams of Clay County, Knox Central and Jackson County as the teams to beat in this week’s 13th Region Boys Tournament at The Arena, but if you ask the coaches of those respective schools, they believe it’s wide open. “Oh no, no, we’re not the team to beat,” defending 13th Region champion Clay County coach Robert Marcum said while smiling. “You can’t overlook a single team in this tournament. If there is one thing I’ve learned since being coach here at Clay County is it’s when you get to this point of the season any one can win. “Knox Central and Jackson County are very good teams,” he added. “Our Achilles’ heel is our defense. We’ve got to figure that out. If we do, then I like our chances.” So if the Tigers (20-8 overall, 12-3 versus 13th Region competition) aren’t the team to beat, it’s got to be Knox Central, right? The Panthers (19-9) do possess the best record against regional opponents (13-1) and have defeated both Clay County and Jackson County on the road. “I think if you look at it overall, we have done well against teams in the 13th Region,” Knox Central coach Brian Evans said. “Yes, we have beaten some very good teams this season, but on the other side of that, we’ve seen in the past that teams that beat teams during the regular season most of the time lose when they play in the postseason. “I believe teams get that extra motivation after they lose to you,” he added. “Nothing is a guarantee at this point of the season. Everyone is going to have to come ready to play.” So if Knox Central isn’t the team to beat, is it Greg Parrott’s Generals, who are coming off a 93-92 heartbreaking loss to Clay County in the 49th District title game after leading by four points with less than a minute remaining in the game? “There are eight teams here that have a great chance to win,” Parrott said. “It’s going to be great games for the fans, and tight games for each team involved. They might say it’s the big three with us, Knox central and Clay County and I wouldn’t disagree, but I honestly believe they’re eight teams that can win this. “Knox Central, Clay County and Corbin are my top three,” he added. “We don’t have a lot of experience, and hopefully we can get over the shock factor quick from playing in an arena-type setting and settle down and be ready to play.” What about Corbin? After getting off to a 4-4 start while overcoming a five-game losing streak in late January, the Redhounds are winners of nine straight games and 20-10 overall. “From top to bottom I feel like there are a lot of teams that can pull it out and win the whole thing,” Corbin coach Tony Pietrowski said. “The thing that I’m impressed with is how well the teams in our 50th District Tournament played. “I looked back and watched film on the tournament and the level of play overall was just really high,” he added. “That’s encouraging as a coach because I feel like we had some tough tests as we progressed toward the postseason and I feel like those tough tournament games will help our kids as we move on.” Other teams that are dangerous are Bell County, Williamsburg, Barbourville and Middlesboro. The Bobcats (20-10, 18-5) won the tournament three years ago, and possess one of the region’s top scorers in Tyler Potter. “We’ve played just about everybody in this tournament and they’ve all been close games,” Bell County coach Lewis Morris said. “These teams are all here for a reason and that reason is because they have played good enough basketball to get to this point.” “You’ve got some teams that benefitted from the offseason more than others and they have a little more size and depth, so they may have a small advantage,” he added. “Now, you may have a few teams that think they have an advantage over some of the other teams, but you still have to come in and play the game if you want to win.” The one team many don’t know much about is Williamsburg, who stands at 15-16 on the season while making its first appearance in since 1998. The Yellow Jackets now have Skylar Griffith back in the line-up, and it makes them a dangerous team. They knocked off No. 1 seed South Laurel in the 50th District semifinals, and took Corbin to double overtime on the road before losing in the district title game. “I think that there are obviously a few teams that can be considered favorites, teams like Clay County, Jackson County and Knox Central,” Williamsburg coach Patrick Robinson said. “If you look at how three of the four district championships finished, you can see just how balanced the region is and just how competitive this tournament has the potential to be. “As far as our team, I feel like we can compete with anybody in this thing, but we have to play well if we want to make it tough on Knox Central,” he added. “We have the ability to be there in the end, but we have to play well.” Dinky Phipps’ Barbourville Tigers showed they could spoil some teams’ chances of winning the region tourney, too. Knox Central needed to hit a shot with eight seconds remaining to defeat the Tigers (18-12) during the finals of the 51st District Tournament. “I have to give credit to my seniors,” Phipps said. “They have really picked things up and kept us going. I believe any team in the region can win this, though. Clay County, Knox Central and Jackson County are the teams everyone is talking about, and they are very good. Bell County, Williamsburg and Middlesboro are good, too. “I think if we continue to play like we have, we have a chance to surprise,” he added. “We’re happy to be here and we’ll see it what happens.” Another team to keep an eye on is Middlesboro. Granted, the Yellow Jackets (10-20) have been up and down all season, while coming off a 102-64 loss to Clay County just last week. “Clay County is one of the better teams in this thing and they come in as the defending champions, so I feel like they have to be the favorite,” Middlesboro coach Russell Thompson said. “Clay County knocked us out of the tournament last season and they beat us pretty handily earlier in the year, so hopefully we can put something together and learn from those experiences. “You have to bring everything you’ve got to these things and hope for the best in the fact that your kids perform well for you,” he added. “There are several teams in this that can put together a good little run and win it and that’s what I think will happen. One team will come in here and just play really good basketball and surprise somebody and pull away. Hopefully that team is us.” 13th Region Player of the Year Jordan Fox, Knox Central 13th Region All Region Team Jordan Fox, Jackson County Chip McDaniel, Clay County Chad Marsee, Knox Central Matt Barger, Knox Central Zac Baxter, South Laurel Coach of the Year Brian Evans, Knox Central Rankings 1. Knox Central 2. Clay County 3. Jackson County 4. Corbin 5. Williamsburg 6. Bell County 7. Barbourville 8. Middlesboro Upset Special Corbin over Jackson County Upsets that could happen Williamsburg over Knox Central Barbourville over Bell County My Predictions First Round Clay County 82, Middlesboro 66 Knox Central 57, Williamsburg 55 Bell County 62, Barbourville 57 Corbin 67, Jackson County 63 Semifinals Clay County 71, Knox Central 67 Corbin 61, Bell County 57 Finals Clay County 82, Corbin 61
The Professor Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 I'm not from the 13th region but I'm pulling for my neighboring county to the west, Jackson County. I'm not certain but I don't think they've ever won the regional tournament in boys basketball. Their girls have been there several times.
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