Emma Owens has been a member of the Harlan High School basketball team so long that she missed playing with current Harlan coach Mackenzie King Varner by a few months.
In her six seasons with the Lady Dragons, Owens has had some big games and big weeks, but maybe none as big as the one that ended Saturday with a 78-57 win over visiting Belfry. Owens scored 15 points in a win Tuesday over Williamsburg and then scored 20 against Middlesboro on Friday before capping it with 27 points against the Lady Pirates, reaching the 1,000-point plateau in the second quarter.
“I’m proud of Emma. She’s played three great games this week,” Varner said. “She does her job. She can get in the paint whenever she wants to and can knock down the 3s when she wants to.”
Much like last night’s win over Middlesboro, Harlan won the game in the first quarter by forcing eight turnovers in building a 29-14 lead. Owens and Aymanni Wynn each had four baskets in the run while Kylie Noe added three.
The Lady Dragons were unable to build on the lead as they played Belfry to a 17-17 tie in the second quarter and only outscored the Lady Pirates by two, at 15-13, in the third quarter.
“We’re still working on playing a full game of defense, but offensively there isn’t one doubt in my mind we can score the ball whenever we want to,” Varner said. “Improving our defense is our priority.”
Noe and Wynn added 19 and 16 points, respectively, to give Harlan three players in double figures. All three are also members of the 1,000-point club that Owens became the 21st member of on Saturday.
Senior center Jenna Sparks led Belfry with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Senior guard Jaaliyah Warren added 18 points.
Harlan (3-3) will play its next four games in Paintsville, taking on Johnson Central on Monday before playing in the City Between the Lakes Christmas Classic on Dec. 20-22 at Paintsville High School. Belfry (0-6) plays host to Shelby Valley on Monday.