Week 10 is in the books! The Region fared pretty well against other regions this week. North Laurel had a big win at Madison Central, and South Laurel held their own against Woodford County. Bell is still top of the region as they knocked off Harlan County on a buzzer beater put back off a miss. Corbin is a team that is on my radar to watch. Evan Ellis is now cleared to play for the hounds, and he’s a big time sophomore that can score points in a hurry. I’m eager to see their game with Bell County tonight. Here’s your week 10 rankings. 

 

Week 10 Rankings:

1. Bell County (21-4): The Bobcats went 2-0 on the week to run their win streak to 9 games. They crushed Perry County Central by 24 before beating Harlan County on a last second put back. Blake Burnett scored 18 in the win. Cameron Hall added 13, and Cayden Huff added 10. As a team they shot a very efficient 54% from the field. Bell has a huge game at home with Corbin tonight, before hosting Jackson County on Tuesday  night. 

2. South Laurel (17-6): The Cardinals went 2-0 on the week to run their win streak to 7 games. Their slump is long behind them now. Their first win was a 32 beat down over Williamsburg to solidify them as the one seed in the 50th district. Jordan Mabe was an impressive 6-6 from the field for 13 points and 4 boards. They ended the week with a 10 point win over Woodford County at Lafayette. This week they travel to Harlan County tonight, then they’ll travel to Great Crossing on Friday. They end the week with J Town at home on Saturday. If they can win any of these three games, it would make for a solid week. 

3. Harlan County (18-8): The Black Bears went 1-2 on the week and have lost 3 of their last five. Two of those were to Bell Co though, and one to Douglass. They started the week with a 2 point loss to the Bobcats. Maddox Huff had a great shot with 12 seconds left to tie the game, but that was eventually overshadowed by the putback. They bounced back nicely with a 50 point win over Middlesboro to lock up the two seed in the district. They led Douglass a lot of their game, but eventually the Broncos were too much to handle as they pulled away by 12. Maddox Huff led the way with 28, and Jaycee Carter had 14. The rest of the team really struggled from the field. The Black Bears host South Laurel tonight, travel to Middlesboro Wednesday, then host Harlan on Friday. A win over South Laurel will bump them up a spot in the rankings. 

4. Corbin (15-8): The Redhounds went 2-1 this week. They were without freshman phenom Ryder Adkins all week. They started off with a 16 point win over Barbourville. They had a disappointing 4 point loss to Whitley County at home which dropped them out of contention for the top seed in the district. They bounced back from that with a nice 5 point win over North Laurel. One of the highlights of the North Laurel game was transfer Evan Ellis being ruled eligible. He came over from Whitley before the season started. He led the way for Corbin with 26 points and 6 boards. He could be a piece that pushes Corbin towards the top in the region. I’m not sure if Adkins will be back this week, but if he is then tonight's game with Bell County should be a thriller. Corbin also finishes the week up with North Laurel at home on Friday. 

5. North Laurel (15-8): The Jaguars had a decent week going 2-2. I say decent because their losses were to Trinity and Corbin. They will get another shot at Corbin on Friday. They did knock off Madison Central by 18 on the road which is a really nice win. Reece Davidson had a huge game with 36 and knocked down five threes. They ended the week with a 32 point win over Jackson County. In addition to the Corbin game, they play at Sayre on Tuesday, then they host Lafayette on Saturday. 

6. Knox Central (16-5): The KC Panthers picked up a huge win this week over Clay County, and this was the only game they played. Coach Mitchell Madden has done a great job with the Panthers the last couple years. Tydus Summers had a great game with 24 and 8. Grayson Summers added 17 and 10 in the win. This was a huge win that shows Knox is towards the top of the middle and creeping into the top. The Panthers have a busy week with Middlesboro, Perry County Central, Leslie County, and Whitley County on the schedule. 

7. Clay County (17-6): The Tigers had a good week going 2-1, but did drop a game to region opponent Knox Central. They beat Jackson County by a whopping 41, but barely squeaked by Barbourville by 5. Clay is hard to figure out right now. After their win over South Laurel I thought they’d be a regional contender, but they’ve been less than impressive since. Roark and Grubb both had 14 in the win over Barbourville. They have two games late in the week this week, with Jackson County on the road and OBI on the road. 

8. Pineville (17-7): Pineville had a nice bounce back week going 2-0. They started it with a 19 point win over Jackson County. Their best win though was an 11 point win over Whitley Co at home. Their big 3 combined for 65 of their 83. Thompson had 28, Beck had 20, and Moser had 17. Everyone who scored was a senior. So if they’re going to get it done, this year has to be the year. This week they play Harlan on Tuesday, then 15th region favorite Johnson Central on Saturday at Wayland Gym in the Mountain Sports Hall of Fame. 

9. Whitley County (16-8): The Colonels went 1-1 this week. I was ready to bump them far up the rankings after their win over Corbin, but a loss to Pineville mellowed them back out. The win at Corbin was huge because the two teams will play each other in the first round of districts. Shane Parker had 19, and Bryson Mahan had 14 in the win. Parker also added 10 boards. The loss to Pineville was disappointing though after such a big win. This week they play Red Bird, Lynn Camp, and Knox Central on Friday. 

10. Williamsburg (14-8): The Yellowjackets finished a solid 2-1 this week. They’re beating teams they should, but they’re also getting blown out in games they shouldn’t win. You’d like to see them compete a little better. In the win over Knoxville Ambassadors, Nate Goodin had a great game with 21. Lakin Cunagin added 18. This week the Yellow Jackets play OBI, Harlan, and Cordia. 

11. Barbourville (12-10): The Tigers went 0-2 on the week with losses to Corbin and Clay County. Both games were relatively close. They’ll be back in action this week against Buckhorn, Red Bird, and Middlesboro. 

12. OBI (12-11): The Mountaineers went 2-0 this week with wins over Buckhorn and Leslie County. They’ll be back in action against Williamsburg, Middlesboro, and Clay County this week.

13. Jackson County (10-14): The Generals had a tough week going 0-4. They lost to Clay, Pineville, Jenkins, and NL. This week they try to bounce back against Prestonsburg, Bell Co, Clay Co, and Burgin. 

14. Harlan (4-19): The Green Dragons went 1-1 this week with a win over Middlesboro and a loss to KCC. This week they play Pineville, Williamsburg, and Harlan County. 

15. Middlesboro (8-13): The Yellowjackets went 2-2 on the week. This week they play Knox Central, Harlan County, OBI, and Barbourville. 

16. Lynn Camp (4-19): The Campers went 0-2 this week with losses to Owsley Co and Jackson City. This week they play Whitley Co, Cumberland Christian Home School, Owsley Co, and Jackson City. 

17. Red Bird (0-19): The Cardinals lost all 3 games this week but their game with June Buchanan was a nail biter. This week they play Pineville, Whitley Co, and Barbourville.

Harlan County knocked off South Laurel tonight and Bell throttled Corbin.