BRISTOL, TENN. — In addition to playing some high-level basketball opponents this week in the Arby’s Classic, the Harlan County Black Bears get a daily geography lesson as the only Kentucky squad in an 18-team tournament that features teams from around the nation.
After a win against Oak Ridge (Tennessee) to start the tournament, the Bears were dropped into the consolation bracket by Kell, the 5A champion in Georgia last season. The Bears bounced back Friday with an 80-72 win over George Wythe, the Class 1 state runner up in Virginia last season, to earn a showdown against South Shore, N.Y, on Saturday in the tournament’s fifth-place game.
After watching George Wythe knock off South Carolina power Dorman on Wednesday and then push Mentor, Ohio, to the final seconds before falling 96-95, HCHS coach Kyle Jones knew his squad’s defense would face a stiff test. The Bears responded by holding George Wythe to 29 percent shooting (9 of 31) in the first half to build a 14-point halftime lead.
“They are hard to guard. They do a lot of five-out stuff and they have five guys who can get to the rim, so it was a challenge for us. They are a lot deeper than us, so I’m really proud of these guys,” Jones said.
The 12-2 Bears were also helped by a career night from Jaycee Carter, who finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds.
“People have to guard him. He has worked on his game and his body and he’s got a lot quicker. If you don’t guard him, he’s making people pay,” Jones said of his junior center.
“I just try to play my hardest,” Carter said. “Trent (Noah) and Maddox (Huff) and everyone can make shots. I just try to play my game and help my team.”
It was the sixth double-digit game in the past two weeks by Carter, who averaged three points a game last season. Carter admits his confidence has grown.
“It definitely is. My coaches and teammates are telling me to take those shots, and that means a lot and has given me confidence,” Carter said.
“He’s playing really well now,” Noah said of his teammate. “I’ve been waiting on him to take off. All six of the guys playing a lot are playing well and capable of catching fire and putting points on the board.”
Noah, a South Carolina signee, led the Bears with 32 points and was happy with the way his team bounced back after a grueling game a night earlier against Kell.
“We knew we had to mentally ready for this game. They are a good team and very well coached,” Noah said.
“We are really resilient,” Carter said, “We don’t let losses get us down. We just use that as motivation.”
“I was a little worried we’d be fatigued, but I was real proud of our effort to bounce back and get a win against a really good team. I love watching that team play. I think our size hurt them a little bit,” Jones said.
Huff hit three 3-pointers as part of an 11-point first quarter as he started and ended the period with treys as HCHS took a 21-9 lead.
“He got in a rhythm the first quarter, and we have a couple of guys who can do that and get everyone going,” Jones said. “We feel we’re moving along where we want to be and we just want to continue our forward progress.”
Carter had eight points and six rebounds in the second quarter as the Bears extended their lead to 39-25 by halftime.
Noah scored in the paint, then hit a 3-pointer, then found Reggie Cottrell open in the corner for a 3 as the HCHS lead grew to 20, at 47-27. The Bulldogs battled back to within 15 before 3s by Carter and Noah gave Harlan County a 60-44 lead going into the final period.
The George Wythe offense heated up in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs outscored the Bears 28-20 to close within eight in the closing seconds. Noah kept the Bears in control with 13 points in the period, including five of six at the line in the final minute.
Harlan County (12-2) will close play in the tournament on Saturday at 3 p.m. against South Shore, N.Y.