13th Region: Week 5

Week 5 is in the books! It was a rather slow week for most teams. South lost to a 12th region favorite, but Harlan County beat one. I think it’s clear they’re the top two teams of the region so far. Bell County has shown their a more than capable dark horse and have a chance to get some more key wins this week. Clay had the biggest win of the week knocking down North Laurel. The All A is now in the semi’s as OBI and Pineville will play, then Lynn Camp and Barbourville will play in the other half. I would say not many games will get played this week in the 13th because of the weather and the terrain of the region, but we shall see! 

Week 5 Rankings:

1. South Laurel (8-4): The Cardinals went 2-1 on the week. They finished up their tournament in Florida with a 5 point set back to defending 12th region champ pulaski county. Jordan Mabe led the way with 20 and Joshua Steele scored 12 in the loss. They finished the week strong with a 21 point win over Evangel Christian in the Raymond Reed Classic and a 24 point win over Knox Central at home. South has North Laurel scheduled for Thursday at home, but I’m not sure any games will get played this week with the snow and weather. They also are supposed to go to Ashland to play Huntington WV on Saturday. 

2. Harlan County (8-4): The Black Bears went 2-0 to cap a perfect week and end a two game losing skid. The first win was a district game over Harlan on the road. They won this by 28. Maddox Huff had a huge game pouring in 36 ponts on 46% shooting and 100% from the line. He also added 8 boards. Their next win was a 12 point win over Mercer County in the Raymond Reed Classic. Huff had a big game again going for 32 while Jaycee Carter added 12 and Brody Napier put up 10. HC is set to play McCreary Central Wednesday at home for the Kentucky 2A Section 7. Not sure this game will get played. 

3. Bell County (11-3): The Bobcats have been the team to watch so far in the 13th. After going 2-0 this week they have now ran their win streak to 8 games. THe latest two was a 18 point win over Little Miami OH to cap off winning the CFIT, and their game after that was a 20 point win over Antioch TN. Blake Burnett had 22 in the first win, and Ethan Buell had 30 in the second win. At any point Bell has a player that can step up and score in bunches. I can’t wait to see their game with Harlan County. Right now, Bell is set to play Whitley County on Wednesday in the 2A at Harlan County, and North Laurel on Saturday at Corbin in the Tim Short Classic. 

4. : Clay County (9-4): The Tigers went 1-0 with a huge win on the week. This was over district rival North Laurel by a score 70-63 in OT. Dezarn put up 20, Wagers had 17, Grayson Hooker had 15, and Ethan Jackson had 10. Another win over North Laurel will lock up the 1 seed within the district and almost guarantee a region berth. Clay was set to play Corbin tonight but mother nature had other plans. The rest of the week has Clay set to play Western at Corbin on Saturday in the Tim Short Classic. 

5. Corbin (8-5): The Redhounds went 1-1 for the second straight week. After a bad showing against Little Miami in the CFIT, Corbin came back looking for revenge and blew out Somerset by 21 in the third place game. They traveled to Ashland and managed to hang around and play them tough for a while, before eventually falling to defeat by 15. Corbin is a tough team to get a gauge on this far through the season. I hate that their game with Clay got cancelled tonight because that likely would’ve told a lot about both teams. Corbin right now is set to go to North Laurel tomorrow night. They also have games with Jackson County on Friday and Pulaski County on Saturday. 

6. North Laurel (8-5): The Jaguars had a slow week with just one game, but they dropped it so they’re probably dying to get back after it. They lost on the road to Clay County by 7 in OT. Kole Jervis had a great game with 24, but their star Reece Davidson struggled. As a team, North only shot 37% from the game and 26% from three. These numbers will have to increase by a lot if they plan on making noise within the region. North is set to host Corbin at home on Tuesday, travel to South Laurel on Thursday, and play Bell County on Saturday. They can get back on track quick and move up the rankings if they can go perfect, or even win a couple this week. 

7. Whitley County (11-2): The Colonels still have a six game win streak, they just didn’t play any games this past week. I’m not sure if they had the week off, or if weather cancelled it, but the Colonels should be fresh starting the new year. They can show how good they are with a win on Bell County in the 2A Sectional. That’s the only game that Whitley has this week so they’ve had tons of time to prep and scout for this game. 

8. Knox Central (10-3): The Panthers had a nice 2-1 record on the week as they push their win total to double digits. They finished their time on the holiday tournament with a 29 point win, then came back home and thrashed Madison Southern by 30. They finished the week with a 24 point loss to region favorite South Laurel. Freshman Grayson Burton dominated in the Mad South win with 29 on 58% shooting from the field. South did a much better job limiting him with only 12 in the loss. Knox is set to play cross town rival Barbourville in a district matchup on Friday. 

9. Pineville (8-4): The Mountain Lions went a perfect 2-0 on the week. They blew out Red Bird at home by 43, and then won their first round of the All A Region Tournament by 8 over Williamsburg. Sawyer Thompson led the way with 19, and Ashton Moser added 17 in the win. Moser also had 13 boards for a nice double double in the scorers book. Pineville will now play OBI tomorrow in the semi’s for the All A, in a game where the winner will be the favorite in the finals. Pineville is also set to play Harlan on Thursday this week. 

10. OBI (8-6): The Mountaineers had a perfect week going 2-0. They blew out Cumberland Christian Home by 43, and then won their first round of the All A over Harlan by 23. In the first win Skyler Roberts put up 25, Tommy Branstutter had 24, and Jacob Rogers had 22. Jacob Rogers also added 23 in the next win. OBI is probably the feel good story of the 13th region so far this year. OBI will play Pineville tomorrow, and Red Bird on Thursday to complete their week. 

11. Barbourville (8-4): The Tigers went 1-0 on the week with a 16 point win over Jackson County. They play Lynn Camp in the semi’s of the All A tomorrow, then Knox Central on Friday.  

12. Williamsburg (11-2): The Yellow Jackets went 1-1 on the week with a 28 point win over Owsley County, and a 8 point loss to Pineville. They are set to play Middlesboro at home on Friday. 

13. Jackson County (5-8): The Generals went 1-1 this week with a 27 point win oover Middlesboro, but a 16 point loss to Barbourville to kick off the All A. They are set to play Corbin on the road Friday. 

14. Middlesboro (3-8): The Yellow Jackets went 0-1 this week with a 27 point loss to Jackson County. They now play Williamsburg on the road Friday. 

15. Harlan (2-13): The Green Dragons dropped games to Harlan County by 38 and OBI by 23 this past week. They try to get in the win column with a game at Pineville on Thursday and at Prestonsburg on Saturday. 

16. Lynn Camp (2-12): The Wildcats went 1-1 this week. They lost to Model by 48, but got a win in the first round of the All A by beating Red Bird by 27. They play Barbourville tomorrow, and then Jackson City on Friday. 

17. Red Bird (0-9): Red Bird is still searching for their first win after losing to Pineville by 53 and Lynn Camp by 27 this past week. They play OBI on Thursday, and then Jackson City on Saturday.