McKEE — Five minutes into a season they entered ranked among the states’ top 20 teams, the Harlan County Black Bears found themselves trailing 6-5 after missing eight of their first nine shots.
It took less than two minutes for Trent Noah and Maddox Huff to reel off the next 11 points as the HCHS defense picked up the intensity and turned the game around. Harlan County carried a 26-3 run into the second quarter with another 11 straight points as the Bears were never in trouble again on the way to a 77-36 victory over Jackson County in the PRTC Classic.
“I think we were a little excited about it being the first game, and there was a lot of hype going into the season,” Harlan County coach Kyle Jones said. “I think our defensive intensity led to some easy buckets and got us going. I was pleased with the effort. We have a long way to go to be where we want to be, but it’s nice to start with a win, We have a very, very tough opponent coming to Harlan County tomorrow.”
Noah, the Bears’ two-time all-stater, scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Huff added 16 points as the Bears started a running clock midway through the third quarter and turned the game over to the reserves a minute into the fourth period.
Huff had three baskets in the first quarter while Noah added two as the Bears took a 20-9 lead. Noah hit five of seven shots in the second period as the lead grew to 41-18 at halftime.
Caleb Johnson hit a pair of 3-pointers and Jaycee Carter scored twice as the Bears outscored Jackson 21-10 in the third quarter to go up 62-28.
The HCHS reserves continued to build on the lead as Landon Brock had a 3-pointer and three-point play while Kayden Hensley and Cole Cornett added one basket each in outscoring Jackson 15-8 in the final period.
Carter Cunagin, a senior forward, led the 1-1 Generals with 11 points.
Harlan County will face a tougher test Saturday at home against 16th Region power Ashland Blazer, ranked among the state’s top 20 teams. Jackson County will play host to Lee County on Saturday at 4 p.m.