WHITESBURG — An 11-point lead had been reduced to four with 1:57 to play when Letcher Central coach Keith Baker called a timeout and got the ball back in the hands of senior point guard Jalyn Whitt.
Whitt found Kiera Couch for a layup on the Lady Cougars’ first possession after the break, then drew a foul and hit two free with 57 seconds to play to put the game away in a 74-67 victory. Couch scored 25 points and Whitt added 16 as the Lady Cougars evened their record at 1-1 with a win in their home opener.
“We look for Whitt to do that. We’re a lot better when Whitt gets paint touches and drives,” Baker said. “Kiera is our scorer and everyone knows that, but we have to have other people scoring.”
The Lady Cougars shot 60 percent (27 of 45) from the field, including eight of 10 in the third quarter when they built a seven-point advantage.
“We thought we played pretty well defensively over at Lawrence County but struggled on offense. We focused on offense this week, and it seemed like it was just the opposite tonight,” said Baker, who also gave credit to Harlan standouts Kylie Noe and Aymanni Wynn for causing his team problems.
Noe dominated in the paint, hitting 13 of 17 shots in a 28-point performance. Wynn added 20 points as she hit four 3-pointers. Senior point guard Emma Owens chipped in with 16 points.
“Noe and Wynn are very skilled and tough to stop. They have two nice players and a solid point guard. You won’t play a better two those two around here. Those two could go start at South Laurel, Corbin or North Laurel, or at least I think they could. I know they could start here,” Baker said. “We had some mental breakdowns on defense.”
“We rocked it out on offense, but we have to learn the importance of guarding the ball,” Harlan coach Mackenzie King Varner said. “They scored 46 points in their first game, and there is no reason they should nearly double that total. We have to make defending the ball a priority.”
Noe hit five of five shots and Wynn nailed three 3-pointers in the first quarter as Harlan built a 20-17 lead by hitting eight of 12 shots. Allie Bailey led Letcher with three baskets.
Letcher went on a 13-2 run midway through the second quarter as the Lady Dragons appeared to tire after a hot start. Kara Halcomb hit a pair of 3s as the Lady Cougars built a 37-32 halftime lead.
The Lady Cougars stayed hot in the third quarter as Couch hit all four of her shots, but Harlan stayed close Noe and Owens each recording two baskets.
Noe brought Harlan back again in the fourth period, but Couch and Whitt teamed to hit five of six shots in the quarter as Letcher stayed ahead to the end.
“I think small plays make a difference and we have to box out every possession. Those little things make a difference,” Varner said. “We know Emma, Aymanni and Kylie can put the ball in the hole, but we’ve got to have points off the bench too, and we know that. We have to have other people score.”
Harlan will play host to Williamsburg on Tuesday. Letcher Central will travel to Boyd County on Saturday.
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Bailey Howard scored 11 points as Letcher Central edged Harlan 31-25 in junior varsity action. Molly Caudill added eight points. Samara Bailey, Kaylee Baker and Allena Tyree scored four each.
Peyshaunce Wynn led the Lady Dragons with nine points. Shelby Doan and Addison Campbell scored six each. Reagan Goodman and Annie Hoskins added two each.