BRISTOL — One of the reasons for playing what coach Kyle Jones calls the toughest schedule in Harlan County history is to make the Black Bears “tournament ready” by the time they reach the postseason.
It appears the big-game atmosphere the Bears faced in four games last week in the King of the Bluegrass tournament paid off Tuesday in the first round of the prestigious Arby’s Classic at Viking Hall in Bristol.
Harlan County took the lead for good midway through the first quarter against Oak Ridge, Tenn., and continued to pull away in the second and third quarters, building an 18-point lead midway through the final period on the way to a 67-57 victory. The Black Bears had only four turnovers through the first three periods and showed no signs of being intimidated by Oak Ridge, ranked 24th in Tennessee, or the atmosphere of playing in of the biggest tournaments in this part of the nation.
“We knew the atmosphere was going to be big, but we didn’t how big it was until we got here. I’ve said from day one that I feel we have the toughest schedule for our school and the county and would put it up against any in the state this year,” Jones said. “There’s no question that tournament like the WYMT Classic and the King of the Bluegrass got us ready for an atmosphere like this, and we hope it pays off in the end.”
Senior guard Trent Noah showed the big crowd why he’s a South Carolina signed with a 37-point, 10-rebound effort to lead the 11-1 Bears. Junior guard Maddox Huff added 16 points, and junior center Jaycee Carter added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Cooper Williams led the 9-4 Wildcats with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Garrett Gilesa and Brennen Scott added 12 and 11 points, respectively
“We had seen Oak Ridge on film and we knew they had a good team. They are very athletic and a physical defensive team,” Jones said.
Carter helped the Bears get off to a good start with three baskets in the opening period as the Bears took a 16-13 lead. It was the fifth straight double-digit scoring performance for Carter.
“Jaycee has really worked on his game and has changed his body,” Jones said. “He was always a big, physical kid, but he’s moving so much better now and is knocking down shots. People have to guard him.”
Noah and Huff took over in the second quarter as the Bears hit seven of 11 shoots and took a 39-33 lead into the break. The Bears had no turnovers in the period against the Oak Ridge pressure.
Harlan County’s defense owned the third quarter as the Wildcats turned the ball over eight times as the lead grew to 61-43. Noah had a seven-point trip in a 10-0 Bears’ run as he drew a foul on a 3-point attempt and then hit five straight free throws and a jumper after the Oak Ridge coach was assessed a technical for arguing the foul call.
The Bears’ almost flawless night was marred by their struggles down the stretch as Oak Ridge closed the game with a 9-1 run that included five HCHS turnovers.
“I attribute some of the those turnovers late to being a little fatigue. We’ll clean those up, and I feel confident we can,” Jones said.
Harlan County will face an even tougher test in the second round on Thursday at 6 p.m. against Kell, Ga., a 92-42 winner over Greenville, Tenn., in the last first-round game Wednesday. Kell is ranked fifth in Georgia and is the defending 5A state champ with two Division I signees. Kell came into the Arby’s Classic after being named one of the preseason Top 25 teams in the nation.