13th Region: Week 1

13th Region Boys Basketball Week 1:

With week 1 in the books we will look and see how it all falls! Whitley County is my team of the week with a big win going into Harlan County and coming out on top. North dropped a game against Lex Cath, but they’re still my favorite right now. Bell County looks to push them, but Bell isn’t playing a tough schedule right now. Time will tell how it all shakes out. Here we go. 

Rankings:

1. North Laurel (2-1) - I’m going to keep the Jags in the top spot even with taking an L. They lost their opener on the road at Lex Cath by 9. Talk about a tough game to open with. They did rebound nicely with a 16 point win over South Laurel and a 24 point win over David School  in the Legacy Nissan Classic. Reece Davidson is picking up where he left off with 16.5 per game through those games. Cooper Elza is putting up 10.5, and Corey Cunagin with 10 per game through the games as well. This week they have Perry County Central in the first round of the WYMT Classic. They will have more games after that this week in the tournament. 

2. Bell County (1-0) - The Bobcats absolutely blitzed Williamsburg in their opener by a score of 95-20. 8th grader Bently Buell led the way with 18, Braxton Ferguson added 16, and Blake Burnett had 12. Everyone got in on the scoring and got plenty of PT. Bell County is going to be extremely talented this season. This week they play Harlan on Tuesday, Middlesboro at home on Friday, and Wayne County at home on Saturday. Bell has an extremely favorable schedule in the first part of the season. 

3. Clay County (3-0) - The Tigers have had a great start to the season sitting at 3-0 with wins over Pineville, Harlan, and Knox Central, three region teams. Adon Grubb is averaging 17.7, Aiden Wagers 15.7, and Jacob Rogers 14 per game. Grubb is also putting up 8.7 boards per game. The three wins were by 53, 38, and 24. Dominating wins. This week we get a big show down with South Laurel on Tuesday, and then Corbin on Friday. This should help us sort the middle of the pack. 

4. Corbin (0-0) - The Redhounds haven’t had their first game, but they have had a few weeks to get their football guys acclimated to the court. They open up with Clay County on Friday, and then Tri-Cities Christian Academy on Saturday. 

5. South Laurel (1-1) - The Cardinals got bounced by their cross town rival by 16 to open the season, but bounced back nicely with a 18 point win over McCreary Central. In the NL game, Kaden Taylor led the way with 14, and Isaiah Robinson added 10. As a team they had a bad shooting night averaging just 31.2%. They have a shot at redemption this week with Clay County on Tuesday, and then Harlan on Friday. 

6. Whitley County (2-0) - I’ll nominate the Colonels for team of the week! A 2-0 start to the season is big, two wins over region opponents is big, and to go into Harlan County and pick up a five point win is even bigger! There are no stats posted yet, but those are two big time wins. Whitley looks to keep amping things up as they take on Boyle County at home tonight, and then Jackson County and Clark Range at home this weekend. A 5-0 start would be huge. 

7. Harlan County (0-1) - A pretty rough start for the Black Bears entering the 2025/2026 season. They opened up with a home game with the Whitley County Colonels, and got bounced 71-76. The stats aren’t up so I can’t delve into those, but this is either a head scratcher or a realization of how life will be post Noah and Huff era. It could also be a tell of how Whitley County will be this year. 

8. Knox Central (1-1)  - The Panthers had a great start to the year with a 29 point win over Harlan. Coach Tony Patterson picked up where he left off. They did however, get bounced their next game by 24 to Clay County. They have a shot to rebound in the first round of the WYMT Classic tonight against Knott Co Central. There will be more games depending on how they do tonight. 

9. Jackson County (3-0) - What a start for the Generals! Three wins, and all were dominating. Wyatt Gray is leading the way with 14 per game, and Tyler Sandlin is up next with 9.7. As a whole the team is shooting 52% from the field. They’re having a really solid year so far. Things do get tougher this week, as they play Breathitt County on Tuesday and Whitley County on Friday. 

10. Barbourville (0-1) - The Tigers lost a heart breaker over a solid Wayne County squad at home on Monday. They were in a back and forth battle all game before Wayne Co hit a game winning three to ice it. Would have been a big win to start the year too. I think that bodes well for the Tigers they played them so close. This week they look to take on OBI and Campbell County TN. 

11. Harlan (0-2) - I may have jumped the gun some with the Green Dragons. They dropped their first two games to region teams, and got absolutely blistered. The first a 29 point L to Knox Central, the second a 38 point L to Clay County. I will hold the L on this one. They get the chance to bounce back this week with Bell County, South Laurel, and Martin County. They will be the underdog in all three. 

12. OBI (2-1) - The Mountaineers are 2-1 with wins over Prestonsburg and Buckhorn, and a loss to Martin County. This week they play Barbourville on the road on Tuesday. 

13. Middlesboro (1-1) - Middlesboro opened up with a 31 point loss to Whitley County, but bounced back with a 7 point win over Betsy Lane. This week they have games with Williamsburg, Lynn Camp, J. Frank White Academy, and Bell County. 

14. Williamsburg (0-1) - The Yellow Jackets got absolutely thumped by Bell County. They were beaten by 75. Lane Jeffries was the lone bright spot with 7 points. They get the chance to redeem themselves this week against Middlesboro and Pineville. 

15. Pineville (0-2) - The Mountain Lions dropped their first two of the year. They got beat by 53 to Clay County, and 13 to Franklin County. They look to set things straight this week with games against Williamsburg and Somerset Christian School. 

16. Lynn Camp (2-1) - Lynn Camp is 2-1 with wins over Red Bird and Trinity Christian, and a loss to Owsley County. A much better start than years past. They play Middlesboro, Buckhorn, and Casey County this week. 

17. Red Bird (0-3) - The Cardinals are back at 0-3. Lost three games to June Buchanan, Lynn Camp, and Jackson County. They have Owsley County this week at home tonight.