Effort upgrade carries Bears past Fairdale in King of Bluegrass tournament

Harlan+County+guard+Trent+Noah+scored+28+points+and+pulled+down+16+rebounds+as+the+Black+Bears+coasted+past+Fairdale+69-46+on+Sunday+in+the+King+of+the+Bluegrass+tournament.

John Henson

Harlan County guard Trent Noah scored 28 points and pulled down 16 rebounds as the Black Bears coasted past Fairdale 69-46 on Sunday in the King of the Bluegrass tournament.

By John Henson, Managing Editor

FAIRDALE — Coming off a three-point loss Saturday to Lyon County, the Harlan County Black Bears bounced back on night two of the King of the Bluegrass tournament on Sunday with a 69-46 victory over Fairdale.
The Black Bears never trailed against their Louisville opponent, dominating the game with a strong defensive effort that limited the Bulldogs to only 21 points in the first half.
“The kids played hard. I told them game plans are great, but there is nothing that takes the place of effort,” Harlan County coach Kyle Jones said. “I felt we came out ready to play tonight. We played well defensively and on the boards, and I thought that was where we were lacking against Lyon County. Our intensity and rebounding were much better today.”
Standout guards Trent Noah and Maddox Huff were matchup problems for the Bulldogs as Noah finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds while Huff added 14 points and six rebounds. Daniel Carmical hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 points.
“I told Maddox and Trent both that we had to get downhill on those guys. You have to make them stop you,” Jones said. “A lot of kids won’t guard after the first move, and I told them they would either score or get fouled if they attacked. I thought those guys controlled the game.”
Noah had four baskets in the opening quarter while Fairdale was limited to only three baskets as a team with the Bears grabbing a 17-7 lead. Huff took over in the second period as he broke down the Fairdale defense with penetration, leading to three baskets and several assists as Noah, Daniel Carmical and Caleb Johnson had two field goals each. HCHS built a 40-21 lead by halftime.
“I felt we came out ready to play tonight,” Jones said. “We played well defensively and on the boards, and I thought that was where we were lacking against Lyon County. Our intensity and rebounding were much better today.”
A Noah dunk off a turnover and two baskets by Jonah Swanner off turnovers sparked a 6-0 run to open the second half and pushed the lead to 25 points. Fairdale battled back to cut the deficit ti 52-33 going into the final period.
Noah hit six straight free throws in a 12-2 run that pushed the HCHS lead to 69-40 with 1:54 left before Fairdale closed with a 6-0 run against the Harlan County reserves.
Cameron Croney scored 12 points and Jacob Tucker added 10 to lead the 3-4 Bulldogs.
Harlan County will face a tough test on Monday at 7:30 p.m. against Male, the defending 7th Region champs and traditionally one of the top teams in Louisville.

 

Harlan County point guard Maddox Huff worked around a Fairdale defender on Sunday in the King of the Bluegrass. Huff scored 14 points in the Bears’ 69-46 victory. (John Henson)
Harlan County coach Kyle Jones talked with his team during a break in the action at the King of the Bluegrass tournament on Sunday. The Bears evened their record at the tournament with a 69-46 win over tournament host Fairdale. (John Henson)