13th Region Tournament Preview

For the past two seasons, the Clay County Tigers have owned 13th Region competition, winning the 13th Region Tournament crown the past two years, and now they're going for their third title in a row. The last time a team accomplished the feat was when the South Laurel Cardinals did it in 2006, 07 and 08.

So can the the Tigers three-peat?

"We're going to do what we do best — take one game at a time," Clay County coach Robert Marcum said. "The bracket we are in is very loaded, so the best thing we can do is to take things one game at a time."

Knox Central, Williamsburg and Barbourville are also some teams that many believe can make a run at unseating Clay County.

"Obviously, Clay County is the team to beat," Williamsburg coach Patrick Robinson said. "But with that said, I believe there are some other teams that can win it, too. Barbourville is a dangerous team, and so is Knox Central. I do like our chances. The big thing for us is that we're going to have to bring it every day.

"You also can't overlook Corbin either," he added. "This is a good field of teams."

Barbourville coach Dinky Phipps agreed with Robinson.

"Clay County is the team to beat, and they've been playing good ball all year long," he admitted. "The one thing we all know is that anything can happen once the region tournament starts. There is a reason why these teams are here, and it's because they are all good. I do like our draw and there is a chance that two All 'A' schools could be playing in the semfinals and you don't see that alot."

The Tigers will face-off against Corbin at 8 p.m. in the final first round game on Thursday and the winner will face-off against the winner of the Knox Central/Harlan County, who play at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The Panthers have already defeated the Black Bears once this season.

“I think our schedule will help us a lot, because we have played a lot of good teams over the course of the season, but the layoff with the weather may have hurt us,” Knox Central Jamie Voight said. “We were really starting to roll at one point, but the fact remains in this tournament you still have to win three games.

“The way we see it is whether you are a district champion or a district runner-up, you still have to come in here and play well,” he added. “I’ve told our kids all season that we have to come in and take things one game at a time and our approach won’t change at this point. I feel like we match up good against any of the other seven teams in this thing, but you have to come in and play well for 32 minutes."

Corbin coach Tony Pietrowski admitted it's going to be tough for his etam tp upset Clay County, but his Redhounds almost accomplished the feat earlier in the season before losing at home, 75-69.

“It’s obvious that we’re playing what most people consider to be the best team in the tournament, but in the same token we’ve got time to prep,” Pietrowski said. The fact that we’ll have time to get in the gym and work on some things is a real positive for our guys.

“If you’ve got to beat a team of Clay County’s caliber, a lot of times it’s best to get them in the first round,” he added. “We’ll get to work and we’ll start trying to figure out a way to play against them, but we know it’s going to be a tough challenger."

Wednesday's games have two good matches as well. The first game at 6:30 p.m. will have 51st District champion Barbourville facing off against 52nd District runner-up Bell County.

"It's going to be a tough match-up," Phipps said. "They have a good team and they have size, so we're going to have to find a way to rebound the ball. If we don't, it could be a long night.

"We've got to continue to shoot the ball well, too," he added. "If we don't shoot the ball well, it really is hard for us to win."

Wednesday's 8 p.m. game will have host Williamsburg going up against Jackson County, which wasn't a surprise to either Robinson or General coach Greg Parrot.

"It seems like any time we are in a tournament, we draw Jackson County," Robinson said. "We know it's not going to be an easy game at all. They picked up a good win against North Laurel, and they've got some very good scorers, and for us to win, we've got to come ready to play.

Parrot admitted beating Williamsburg is going to be a tough challenge, but also feels like his team has the ability to surprise.

"I think we can," he said. "There is never an easy draw, and we've got a tough one having to play Williamsburg. I think when you look at these eight teams, any one of them can win the entire thing, and we feel like if our kids can come out and give a good effort, we have a shot."

13th Region Tournament Rankings

1. Clay County

2. Knox Central

3. Williamsburg

4. Barbourville

5. Corbin

6. Harlan County

7. Jackson County

8. Bell County