BEVERLY — After four straight All “A” Classic 13th Region titles, the Harlan Green Dragons were supposed to watch someone else make the trip to state competition this season. At least that was the script most of us had been reading since last summer.
Harlan had yet to recover from the loss of three standout players and took a 2-9 record into regional competition. After a blowout win Saturday over a winless Red Bird squad at the Cardinals’ home gym, the Dragons faced their toughest test Monday in the semifinals against preseason favorite Pineville. Harlan responded to the challenge, battling the Lions into overtime before emerging with a 72-68 victory to earn a spot in Tuesday’s championship game against Williamsburg.
Senior guard Kyler McLendon had an off night shooting the basketball, missing all 10 3-point shots in the first half, but still managed to score 46 points as he continually found his way to the basket, even when he was double-teamed.
“I feel we always have something to prove every year we’re in it,” McLendon said. “It’s a big tradition for our school and very important to us. I thought my guys competed hard, and we did our thing. I’m very proud of our group.”
“We knew we were playing an excellent team, one of the top teams in our region in Pineville, but on any given night you have a chance,” Harlan coach Derrick Akal said. “I thought we played as hard tonight as we have all year. We didn’t execute the best, but we played hard, and I think that’s what helped us win the game.”
Trent Cole and Nate Montanaro each added 11 points for the Green Dragons.
Harlan missed all 16 3-point attempts in the first half and hit only four of 29 for the game.
“Shots don’t fall sometimes, and when they don’t you have to make an adjustment. We tried to go downhill and get to the rim,” McLendon said.
“We challenged Kyler not to settle for 3s. Kyler is kind of crafty around the rim and hard to guard off the dribble,” Akal said. “I thought he did a better job the second half. It’s hard for anyone in the region to stay in front of him. He even beat double teams. He’s in excellent condition and is hard to deal with when he’s in one of those modes.”
Pineville (10-5) was led by junior guards Ashton Moser and Sawyer Thompson with 21 and 17 points, respectively. Logan Littles added 11 points.
It was an intense game from start to finish as each squad was hit with two technicals, beginning with one assessed to Pineville before the game even started for dunking in warmups. McLendon hit two free throws and then two baskets as Harlan took a 6-0 lead.
The Mountain Lions struggled even more than Harlan on offense in the first quarter as they missed their first seven shots from the field and hit only one of 12 in the first quarter as Harlan built a 15-11 lead. Thompson and Moser, the Lions’ standout junior guards, missed all seven of their attempts in the first quarter against the quick and athletic Harlan defenders.
Harlan’s lead grew to 23-16 midway through the second quarter, but the Dragons’ inability to hit shots opened the door for Pineville to close with a 10-2 run. The Lions led by one at the break.
The lead changed hands several times in the third quarter before McLendon took control as he hit five of 11 shots to give the Dragons a 49-42 lead. Moser kept the Lions in the game as he hit four straight shots.
The Harlan lead was 56-48 with 3:50 left when Moser and Thompson sparked a 7-0 run. The Dragons had a chance to put the game away at the free throw line in the final minute but McLendon missed two and Montanaro hit one of two as Harlan led 62-60 with 11.4 seconds left.
Thompson hit a shot around the basket as he drew a foul with 5.2 seconds to play, but he missed at the line to send the game into overtime as Harlan was unable to get off a shot before time expired.
McLendon scored all 10 points for Harlan in overtime, including a basket and then two free throws on successive trips after Moser hit two free throws with one minute left to cut the deficit to 67-66.
Junior center Hunter Clem played a huge role for the Dragons in the second half as he pulled down 10 rebounds after halftime.
“I’ve been begging for that Hunter Clem all year, and tonight he showed how important he can be to this team by crashing the boards,” Akal said. “I was super proud of Hunter. He was almost done after that technical (in the first half), but he took care of business in the second half.”
Harlan will take on Williamsburg on Tuesday for the All ‘A” regional title with the winner advancing to state competition in Corbin.