13th Region: Week 7

Week 7 is in the books! The week started off with a huge game against this weeks 1 and 2 which saw number 1 take it by 3. Harlan County had a great run to the finals of the 2A but ran out of gas against Calloway County. South Laurel had their toughest week of the year dropping two region games to Corbin and Clay County. Clay found their stride this week as did Corbin. After this week, I’d say realistically the top 5, maybe 6, teams in the region could make a run. There’s a lot of parity this year in the region which should make for exciting district and region tournaments. 

Week 7 Rankings:

1. Harlan County (14-5): The Black Bears make their way back to the top of the region this week. They started the week with a 3 point win over Bell County to put themselves in the 2A State Tournament. Maddox Huff had 41 and five threes in the win. Jaycee Carter had a big game on the boards with 14.  They followed that up with a 17 point win over Mercer County in the first round. Then they had a 23 point win over CAL in the semi’s. They dropped the title game to Calloway County by a score of 75-80. The Black Bears had a great run this weekend and showed they’re not ready to give up their 13th region crown just yet. This week the week will be slower, as they play Pikeville at home on Tuesday and then Breathitt County on the road Saturday. 

2. Bell County (13-4): The Bobcats had their big show down with Harlan County on Monday and dropped it by 3. Blake Burnett had a monster game with 30 and 7 in the loss. Bell did bounce back well and beat North Hardin in the Bill Smallwood Classic by a score of 82-72. Bell has a busy week ahead of them with Harlan at home on Tuesday, Mad South on the road Friday, then Waggener at JTown on Saturday in the Raising Cane’s J’town Jam. The following week is the big rematch with Harlan County. 

3. Corbin (10-5): The Redhounds had a huge week that started with their district win over South Laurel. Many had the Cardinals pegged as the region favorite, but Corbin had other plans. They beat the Cardinals by 14 at home. Ryder Akins led the way with 21, and he went 14-15 from the line. Eli Pietrowski added in 12 and Dawson Farmer added 11. Dawson Farmer also had 11 on the boards. They then had another district win over Williamsburg by 26. Connor Middleton had 28, and Ryder Akins had 23 in this win. Connor also added 12 boards with a huge double double. The Redhounds have a slow week with only Whitley County on the road on Tuesday. 

4. : Clay County (13-4): The Tigers had a huge week going 3-0. They started the week with a 33 point win over OBI, then had a 38 point win over Harlan. The biggest win on the week though was a 5 point win over South Laurel at home in the Bobby Keith Classic. They’d have made Coach proud the way they played. Adon Grubb had 18, Ethan Jackson had 14, and Aiden Wagers had 10. Adon Grubb also had 10 boards. Clay shot 60% from the field, and 56% from three. A very efficient game. Clay looks to keep things rolling this week with Pulaski County on the road Tuesday, North Laurel on the road Tuesday, and then Rockcastle on the road Saturday. We will see if they can keep the momentum going. 

5. South Laurel (10-6): The Cardinals had their worst week on the year so far. They went on the road in a hostile environment in Corbin and was beat by a tune of 52-66. They rebounded well with Whitley County at home and beat them 53-21. The 21 was Whitley’s lowest scoring output on the year. They then went on the road again and dropped a 5 point game to Clay County. South still has the talent and the ability to make a run at the region title, but this week was a set back. South will be back in action this week with Williamsburg on Tuesday and DCA on Saturday. The DCA game would be a great game to pick up a win on. 

6. North Laurel (10-6): The Jaguars went 2-0 on the week and found a little more consistency. Their first win was a 43 point drubbing over district opponent Jackson County. They then had a 24 point win over Pineville in a region game at the Bobby Keith Classic. North hosts OBI on Tuesday, then has a big rematch with Clay County for likely the district number one seed at home on Friday. North could shoot back up the rankings with another perfect week. 

7. Knox Central (12-3): The Panthers had another nice week going 2-0. Their first was a 16 point win over OBI. They were led by a very balanced scoring effort that saw five players score in double digits. Freshman Hayden Melton had the biggest game likely as he had 14 points and 15 boards. They followed that up with a nice 19 point win over Scott County. Grayson Burton went off for 34 points and Tydus Summers had 20. Hayden Melton had another double double with 10 points and 11 boards. Knox looks to keep it moving this week with a game at Barbourville on Friday, then Tates Creek at the Rocket Classic on Saturday. 

8. Pineville (10-3): The Mountain Lions went 2-1 this week and are now 5-1 the last two weeks combined. They beat Lynn Camp in a district game by 37 and then Barbourville in a district game by 17. Jeremiah Beck went off for 30 and 5 in the Lynn Camp game. He also added 24 against Barbourville. They did end the week on a bad note by dropping a 24 point game to North Laurel. This week Pineville opens up with Bishop Brossart in the All A on Thursday. That’s the only game on the schedule so far. 

9. Whitley County (12-5): The Colonels had a tough week going 1-2, and have now lost three of their last four. They started off with a nice district win over Williamsburg by 15. Bryson Mahan had 26 and Levi Jackson had 24 in the win. Unfortunately in their next game, they couldn’t score that much as a team. They put up 21 a 32 point loss to South Laurel, then got beat by Madison Central by 29. This week things don’t get easier on Tuesday as they play Corbin at home, but they then play Red Bird on Friday and Cordia on Saturday. 

10. OBI (9-9): The Mountaineers had a tough week going 1-2. They got killed by Clay County by 33, then lost a tough game to Knox Central by 16. They did bounce back well with a 17 point win over Wolfe County in the Bobby Keith Classic. Skyler Roberts had 21 in the loss to KC. OBI has two big district games this week. The first, a game Tuesday on the road at North Laurel. The next is a game at Jackson County on Friday. 

11. Barbourville (10-6): The Tigers went 1-1 this week with a win over Cumberland Gap TN and a loss to Pineville. This week they play Model, Berea, Knox Central, and Casey County. A very busy week. 

12. Williamsburg (11-4): The Yellow Jackets dropped both games they played this week to Whitley County and Corbin. This week they are set to play South Laurel, and Mount Pisgah Christian Academy TN. 

13. Jackson County (7-9): The Generals went 2-1 this week. They beat Lee County and Harlan, but lost to North Laurel. This week they play Casey County and OBI. Both games are at home. 

14. Middlesboro (4-8): The Yellow Jackets went 1-0 this week with a huge win over J Frank White Academy TN. This week they play Harlan and June Buchanan. 

15. Harlan (2-16): The Green Dragons dropped two games this week. A 38 point loss to Clay County and a 7 point loss to Jackson County. They are set to play Bell County, Middlesboro, and Prestonsburg this week. 

16. Lynn Camp (2-15): The Wildcats went 0-2 this week with a loss to Pineville and Model. They play Red Bird, and Cordia this week. 

17. Red Bird (0-9): Red Bird went 0-3 this week with losses to Rockcastle, Cordia, and Owsley County. This week they play Lynn Camp, KSD, and Whitley County.