BluegrassPreps.com 13th Region Boys Basketball Preview

[Les]

It’s an interesting time in the 13th Region, to say the least.

Follow us for a second, defending 13th Region champion North Laurel went from favorite to heavy favorite and state title contender to back to favorite after Trent Noah played summer ball with the Jaguars before ending back at Harlan County. But then the transfer of Gavin Chadwell to North Laurel, made the Jaguars heavy favorites to repeat as regional champs, and a state title contender again.

Confused? Well, we hope not. 

So let’s take a look at who the contenders are now, and who could be knocking on the door, and maybe a surprise team or two as well.

Favorites

Obviously, North Laurel is the team to beat. The Jaguars possess one of the best players in the nation in senior Reed Sheppard. Sheppard had one heck of a summer, and is looking to lead the Jaguars to not only their third 13th Region crown but also the program’s first state championship.

With Ryan Davidson returning along with Brody Brock, and a solid cast of role players, North Laurel isn’t ready to give up their 13th Region crown.

Oh, we almost forgot — OK, we didn’t. 

Just like we said in the opening paragraphs, the addition of former Knox Central Panther Gavin Chadwell, solidifies North Laurel as a heavy favorite to repeat as region champions.

If there is one team that can match the Jaguars, it could very well be Kyle Jones’ Harlan County Black Bears.

The Black Bears possess one of the top juniors in the nation, and the state in Trent Noah. Remember, Harlan County didn’t reach the region tournament last season, so the Black Bears are going to be focused and ready.

Noah gives them an awesome scoring option along with a shot blocker and one of the best rebounders in the region. Harlan County also possesses two solid players in Jonah Swanner, and Maddox Huff. Huff is ready to show just what he can do after having one heck of a summer.

The other two contenders both hail from the 50th District.

A lot of folks believe Tony Pietrowski’s Redhounds have the talent to unseat North Laurel as region champions.

With players such as Hayden Llewellyn, Brody Wells, Carter Stewart, Trey Worley, Zander Curry, Eli Pietrowski, and Kade Elam returning you can see why Corbin fans are ready for the season to begin.

The South Laurel Cardinals are the defending 50th District champions (four years in a row) and return a solid nucleus during the four-year span, they are 3-4 in region tournament play, with three of the four losses coming during semifinal action, and one coming during first round play.

The Cardinals won 23 games last season while continuing their dominance in the 50th District. They possess a 12-game win streak against their district rivals, the Corbin Redhounds.

Those two will do battle for district supremacy once again with Parker Payne, and Eli Gover returning as two of South Laurel’s top players.

Teams to keep an eye on

Teams such as Whitley County, Harlan, Bell County, and Barbourville have a shot to make noise this season.

The Colonels return a solid nucleus of players along with the Tigers.

Eric Swords will be guiding Whitley County after coaching at Williamsburg while Chris Taylor worked magic last season during his first year as the Tigers’ coach. Look for him to do the same this season.

Of course, you’ve always got to keep an eye on Brad Sizemore’s Bell County Bobcats. 

Dawson Woolum returns as one of the best players in the region which will make Bell County a tough team to beat. Another 52nd District team, Harlan, lost a key player in Jordan Akal but don’t expect the Green Dragons to drop off much or even at all. 

Knox Central will drop off some after graduating a lot of talent but the Panthers return a lot of young talent, too. The loss of Gavin Chadwell hurts. KT Turner returns while players such as Brayden Mills will contribute. 

Glenn Gray’s Clay County Tigers will surprise this season as well. The Tigers continue to get better and better. They return a solid nucleus of players and will have a good shot at reaching the 13th Region Tournament this season. Don’t be surprised if they triple their win total (6) from last season. 

Another team that could easily be a top 10 squad by season’s end is Brad Levy’s Pineville Mountain Lions. Levy has put in a lot of work with his players this summer, and we believe it’s going to pay off in the end. Sawyer Thompson is one of the top sophomores in the state. He averaged more than 21 points per game as a freshman. We can’t wait to see what he does this season.

Lynn Camp is a mystery team. We don’t know exactly how good they’ll be until the season tips off. 

The Wildcats do possess one of the best scorers in the state in Micah Engle. If Engle can get some help, Lynn Camp could very well surprise this season. 

Another team that could surprise is Jackson County. Coach Greg Parrett always does a fantastic job with the Generals. Jude Lakes returns along with Tydus Summers.

Williamsburg, Middlesboro, Oneida Baptist will all have new coaches this season, so it’s gonna be interesting to see how things pan out with those three schools while Red Bird will look to improve on last season’s 2-24 mark. 

 

13th Region Boys Rankings

1. North Laurel (28-6)

2. Harlan County (19-11)

3. Corbin (22-9)

4. South Laurel (23-8)

5. Harlan (22-11)

6. Whitley County (13-16)

7. Bell County (25-6)

8. Barbourville (17-8)

9. Clay County (6-22)

10. Knox Central (26-8)

Best of the Rest

11. Pineville (13-18)

12. Jackson County (21-10)

13. Williamsburg (16-14)

14. Lynn Camp (21-12)

15. Middlesboro (9-22)

16. Oneida Baptist (16-14)

17. Red Bird (2-24)

13th Region District Rankings

49th District

1. North Laurel

2. Clay County

3. Jackson County

4. Oneida Baptist

5. Red Bird

50th District

1. Corbin

2. South Laurel

3. Whitley County

4. Williamsburg

51st District

1. Barbourville

2. Knox Central

3. Pineville

4. Lynn Camp

52nd District

1. Harlan County

2. Harlan

3. Bell County

4. Middlesboro

13th Region Top Players

1. Reed Sheppard, North Laurel, 6-3, Sr., G

The University of Kentucky signee enters the season as the Mr. Basketball front-runner. Will he be able to lead North Laurel to another 13th Region title? 

Sheppard averaged 25.2 points, and 6.9 rebounds per game last season.

 

2. Trent Noah, Harlan County, 6-6, Jr., G

Noah is not only one of the best players in the region but also in the state. He can do it all, and we are interested in seeing just how far the Black Bears can go this season. 

Noah averaged 28.1 points, and 9.9 rebounds last season. 

 

3. Ryan Davidson, North Laurel, 6-3, Sr., F

Davidson is another player than can do it all. He can hurt opposing teams in so many ways offensively. He’s also a lockdown defender, too.

Davidson averaged 20.1 points, and 6.8 rebounds last season.

 

4. Hayden Llewellyn, Corbin, 6-1, Sr., G

In any other region, Llewellyn could very well be the top-ranked player. He has a knack for scoring, and could very well lead the the Redhounds to a regional crown. 

Llewellyn averaged 21.8 points, and 3.6 rebounds last season.

 

5. Gavin Chadwell, North Laurel, Jr., C, 6-4

Chadwell is a force in the post. He’s got great size and can score and rebound at will. His addition to North Laurel now gives the Jaguars three of the top five ranked players in the region.

He averaged 13.6 points, and 8.5 rebounds last season.

 

6. Maddox Huff, Harlan County, Soph., G, 6-3

Huff continues to gain momentum heading into the season after turning in one heck of a summer. 

Huff averaged 11.9 points, and 4.3 rebounds last season.

 

7. Dawson Woolum, Bell County, Sr., G, 6-1

Hard-nosed guard that can get the job done on both ends of the court. Can easily put up points with the best of them. 

Woolum averaged 18.0 points, and 3.5 rebounds per game last season.

 

8. Micah Engle, Lynn Camp, Sr., G, 6-5

Could be the best scorer in the region. He’s always dangerous when he has the ball in his hands but when the game is on the line, he gets even more dangerous. 

Engle averaged 23.9 points, and 6.4 rebounds per game.

 

9. Jaedyn Gist, Harlan, 6-0, Sr., F

One of the best athletic players in the region. Could very well end the season ranked a whole lot higher.

Gist averaged 13.9 points last season, and 8.8 rebounds. 

 

10. Parker Payne, South Laurel, Sr., G, 6-0

Smooth ball player for the Cardinals. He’s the key to South Laurel’s success, and one reason why the Cardinals are tagged as the team to beat in the 50th District once again. Payne averaged a team-best 13.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. 

 

11. Brody Wells, Corbin, Sr.

Wells is another player you might see in the top 10 by season’s end. He’s a force in the paint, averaging 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season.

 

12. Ashton Reynolds, Whitley County, Sr.

Reynolds is one of the most underrated players in the region. He can easily score 20-plus with the best of them. Reynolds averaged 14.3 points we game last season, and 4.1 rebounds per game.

 

13. Kaleb McLendon, Harlan, Sr.

Look for McLendon to pick up even more scoring this season. He averaged 10 points per game last year and 4.1 rebounds per game.

 

14.  Jonah Swanner, Harlan County, Jr.

Swanner is another player that can knock down the clutch baskets when needed. He averaged 11.8 points per game last season while pulling down 4.0 rebounds per game.

 

15. Sawyer Thompson, Pineville, Soph.

Thompson can score with the best of them. His 21.6 scoring average last season was one of the best in the 13th Region. He’s sure to move up many spots this season, and could be in the top 10 when we do our end of the season player rankings. Thompson also averaged 4.0 rebounds per game.

 

16. Cayden Grigsby, Middlesboro, Jr.

Grigsby is one of the most athletic guards in the region. He had a team-best 12.6 scoring average last season along with 3.6 rebounding average.

 

17. Matthew Warren, Barbourville, Sr.

Warren led the Tigers with a 14.2 scoring average last season. He also pulled down three rebounds per game. 

 

18. Brody Brock, North Laurel, Jr. 

Brock’s numbers might not stand out to some but when the Jaguars need clutch buckets, Brock knocks them down. He will be key to North Laurel’s success again this season. Brock averaged 8.2 points, and 3.7 rebounds last season.

 

19. Eli Gover, South Laurel, Sr.

Gover returns as one of South Laurel’s top scorers after averaging 11.5 points per game last season. He also averaged 2.6 rebounds. 

 

20. Hayden Harris, Clay County, Jr.

Harris established himself as one of the better scorers in the region last season with a 15.1 scoring average. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds per game.

 

21. Brayden Mahan, Whitley County, Sr.

Mahan led the Colonels last season with a 15.1 scoring average while pulling down 4.6 boards per game.

 

22. Carter Stewart, Corbin, Jr.

Stewart turned in a solid season as a sophomore last year, averaging 11.2 points, and 3.0 rebounds per game.

 

23. KT Turner, Knox Central, Sr.

Turner is looking to have a big senior season after averaging 6.7 points, and 4.2 rebounds per game during his junior season. 

 

24. Eli Pietrowski, Corbin, Freshman

As an eighth grader, Pietrowski played in all 31 of Corbin’s games and averaged 6.4 points, and 3.8 rebounds per game.

 

25. (Tie) Jordan Mabe, South Laurel, Soph.

Mabe played in 30 games last season as a freshman, averaging 6.6 points, and 2.4 rebounds per game. Expect him to move on up in the rankings as the season progresses. 

 

25. (Tie) Daniel Carmical, Harlan County, Sr.

Carmical is one of the best outside shooters around. He averaged 10.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game last season. 

[theguru]

Bump.