13th Region: Region Recap and Championship Preview

13th Region Updated:

What a week and weekend for the 13th. We’ll do a short recap through each team's run, and then get into the championship game, along with a ranking at the end for fun. 

Harlan County: The favorite going into the tournament. They had avenged their losses to Bell County. They had already beaten South Laurel. They were up 9 on North Laurel in the third quarter after knocking off Knox Central the round previously. That’s when things started going south for the Black Bears. After giving up a three to tie the game with ten seconds left in regulation, Maddox Huff was blocked and the game went into OT. HC was outscored by 6 and the run is now over. HC graduates three starters that were big parts of their run last year and this year. These past two years have been a great run for the Harlan County community.

Pineville: Give it up for the 1A Mountain Lions. They were able to win their first district in years, and weren't done there as they knocked off Clay County in the first round. Jeremiah Beck put up 22, Kaiden Robbins added 17, and Ashton Moser had 16 in the win. What a year to remember for Pineville. They had their season come to an end to a good South Laurel squad by 10, but they were competitive throughout. The good? A district championship and a great run for the small school. The bad? Almost every contributor this year was a senior. 

Knox Central: A solid season that went off the rails at the end. After winning a whole bunch in a row, they lost 3 of their last 4 including the district title. Harlan County knocked Knox off by 12 in the first round of region. Freshman Grayson Burton had 20 in the loss. Knox is relatively young and will most definitely be back. 

Corbin: What a strange season by the Redhounds. They had South Laurel down the entire game in the district finals. They had beaten North Laurel twice earlier in the season by five, on the road and at home. They had just gotten Evan Ellis cleared who is a prolific scorer. But then they were run out of the gym in the first game of the regional by North Laurel by 25. They had their second lowest scoring output on the season. Corbin brings back a lot, they should be near the top of the region next season. 

Clay County: The Tigers were a team that never really figured it out either. After knocking off North Laurel once, they dropped two straight to them and put them against Pineville in the first round of region. This was the best draw they could’ve gotten as a district loser, but couldn't make the most of it and lost by 5. Senior Jerrod Roark had a good final game as a Tiger and ended with 19 on the night. Seniors Dezarn and Hooker added in 8 and 6. 

Bell County: Were they a year early? Did they reach their height too early? Bell was having a great season, but it seemed like after they lost to South Laurel on the 20th they never really got their mojo back. We knew that their game with South Laurel was a terrible draw, but I expected them to compete better than they did. The game was never really in doubt and they were beaten by 16. Bell graduates one so they should be right back at it next season. 

Now let's look at the championship game and a preview.  

Time: 7:00 PM Monday March 10th at the Corbin Arena

South Laurel: How did they get there? After a 21-9 regular season, South has been rolling in postseason play. They’re winners of 8 straight, and go into this one the favorite. They knocked off Bell County in the opening round by 16, then Pineville by 10. The Cardinals are led on the year by three seniors, Jordan Mabe, Colton Rawlings, and Joshua Steele. Mabe puts up 20.5, then Rawlings and Steele right under 10. Jordan Mabe is their MVP and he is Mr. Do It All. A true point forward in today's game. The Cardinals get it done on the defensive end, and make enough plays to extend the lead on O. South has played their crosstown rival twice this year. The first was on December 10th where they won by 8. Mabe had 19 and 7 in the win, and Kaiden McQueen added in 12. They played again January 9th and South won this one by 15. This time Steele led the way with 18, and Mabe put up 15. Will South keep it rolling and make their way back to the sweet 16.

North Laurel: How did they get there? The Jaguars are the dark horse that got hot at the right time. They probably entered the Corbin game as underdogs after getting beat twice by the Redhounds, but then ran them out of the gym by a final of 66-41. They were for sure the underdogs against Harlan County, but then a clutch three by Kole Jervis with ten seconds sent them to OT where they dominated and won by a final of 53-47. The Jags are led by Jr Reece Davidson who puts up 21 and 10 a game. Their lone senior Kole Jervis has been Mr. Big Shot this postseason as he nailed big shot after big shot against Harlan County. North’s first loss to SL on the year saw Davidson only put up 11, and Jervis added 14. The second loss saw Davidson only put up 12 and Jervis 10. As a team they shot 32%. Can North Keep their magic going? Corbin had also beat them twice before they flipped the table in the region. This game has all the makings for an instant classic. 

Week 13 Rankings:

1. South Laurel (25-8): The prohibitive favorite. 

2. North Laurel (21-10): What a run!

3. Harlan County (25-9): Eliminated. 

4. Pineville (22-10): Eliminated.

5. Bell County (26-7): Eliminated. 

6. Corbin (19-11): Eliminated.

7. Knox Central (22-8): Eliminated.

8. Clay County (21-8): Eliminated.

9. Whitley County (19-11): Eliminated.

10. Williamsburg (17-10): Eliminated.

11. Barbourville (17-13): Eliminated.

12. OBI (15-14): Eliminated.

13. Jackson County (11-18): Eliminated.

14. Harlan (5-25): Eliminated.

15. Lynn Camp (7-22): Eliminated. 

16. Middlesboro (8-21): Eliminated.

17. Red Bird (0-23): Eliminated.