article Inside the 13th Region (1/12/15)

[Les]

It’s been another week of impressive basketball action in the 13th Region, but with that said, not a lot of movement in my poll. Williamsburg remains the lone unbeaten team in the state while Clay County remains unbeaten against 13th Region competition. Both South Laurel and Whitley County continue to surprise while North Laurel continues to leave me scratching my head wondering what’s wrong with the Jaguars.

With that said, let’s take a look at the rankings.

1.Clay County (14-3 overall, 6-0 against 13th Region competition)The Tigers posted a 2-1 showing in the WYMT Classic and held their own by only losing 56-51 to Knott Central in the semifinals of the tournament, and they didn’t even attempt a single free throw. Now folks, that’s very odd and rare. Clay County fought back from a halftime deficit to knock off Buckhorn, 82-65. Junior Blake Smith leads the Tigers with a 21.4 scoring average while Trey Farmer is averaging 16.9 points per game while leading the team with a 7.6 rebounding average.

 

2. Williamsburg (12-0, 9-0)The Yellow Jackets remain the only unbeaten team in the 13th Region and the entire state after picking up another impressive win over Corbin this past week. Williamsburg held a 25-4 lead against the Redhounds before holding on to an 11-point victory. Corey Shelton continues to lead Williamsburg in scoring with 20.3 points per game while Skyler Griffith (16.3) and Andrew Griffith (14.0) follow.

 

3. South Laurel (9-6, 2-3)Coach Jeff Davis has done a fantastic job with the Cardinals this season, who have been a pleasant surprise. South Laurel picked up a big 68-54 win over North Laurel this past week while dishing out 14 assists to North Laurel’s one. That’s right, one. Sophomore Jarred Grubb continues to shine, scoring a game high 24 points against the Jaguars. Big man Caleb Taylor added 15 points while Zach Allen added 12. Grubb is leading the team in scoring with an 18.9 scoring average while Caleb Taylor follows with 15.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

 

4. Whitley County (11-4, 5-1)The Colonels continue to surprise, currently riding a four-game win streak. Whitley County’s success comes from hard work and impressive defensive play. Whitley has allowed only 43 points per game during the win streak, as James Sasko leads the team with a 12.5 scoring average. Levi Barton is turning in 10.6 points per game while Corey Johnson isn’t too far behind with a 10.1 scoring average.

 

5. Knox Central (9-7, 4-1)The Panthers have Chad Marsee back in the line-up, but just can’t seem to get anything going at the present time. Knox Central is only 2-4 during its past six games and has allowed an alarming 81 points per game during its past two games.

 

6. Corbin (9-5, 3-4)The Redhounds are another team that is struggling. Corbin 3-4 during its past seven games, and two of those losses have came against Williamsburg. Andrew Taylor got into some foul trouble early on during this past week’s game against Williamsburg, and the Yellow Jackets took advantage of his absence by jumping out to a 25-4 lead before winning by 11 points. Corbin has to have someone else step up, scoring wise, if the Redhounds are going to make a run in the postseason.

 

7. Harlan County (10-7, 3-3)The Black Bears are 3-4 during their past seven games, as Treyce Spurlock leads the way with a 13.1 scoring average.

 

8. North Laurel (6-9, 1-2)I just can’t seem to figure out the Jaguars. They seem to be a step slow on defense, and their post players have to learn to remain on the post on offense. What good is it if their big men are behind the three-point line? Who is going to do the rebounding? Another stat that stood out in their loss to rival South Laurel , the Jaguars only had one assist the entire game.

 

9. Barbourville (11-4, 5-2)The Tigers continue to put together another impressive season. They’ve put together five-game win streak. Barbourville is a team that could make some major noise in the 13th Region All ‘A’ Tournament.

 

10. Jackson County (9-7, 1-4)The Generals can still surprise, but their 1-4 record against region teams surprise me.

 

Player of the Week

Jarod Grubb, South Laurel - Grubb scored 24 points against North Laurel and 18 points against Louisville Eastern.

[Truth99]

Looks about right to me. And I'll even go as far as saying when CLAY shows up and plays Defense the way they did against Knott with that kind of effort 1-5 they are as good as just about anyone. Ryan House is a difference maker on that end. Look forward to the matchup this week with South.

[Headhunter]

I agree Les, ONE assist! That's crazy.

I know all their bigs haven't been shooting any threes, nor are they trying to work the ball inside to their bigs (Rice and Asher) and take advantage of their size down low. I'm like you scratching my head on this one.

If the coach doesn't get hold of this team and take a few notes from the South Laurel play book for "assists and big man" they will have a disappointing season.