LOG MOUNTAIN — At 6-foot-4., Bell County sophomore center Kairi Lamb is a matchup nightmare for most opponents, and Bell County coach David Teague knows his Lady Cats haven’t always capitalized on that mismatch.
They did Tuesday in an 84-70 win over visiting Harlan County as Lamb posted a 23-point, 17-rebound night.
“We’ve been trying to do a better job of establishing her. She has a lot of size and I think she’s one of the best post players in the region,” Teague said. “She’s just now beginning to come into her own. She’s still young. The last little bit we’ve done a better job of establishing her. When she can get going, it opens things up on the outside.”
With Lamb dominating in the paint, the Lady Cats shot the ball well at 54 percent (35 of 65) as Lauren McGeorge and Gracie Wilder each added 21 points.
“We’ve been trying to shoot fewer 3s,” Teague said. “We want to get to the rim a little more and attack and get into our offense. I think our kids are growing up a little, but we still have a long way to go.”
Senior guard Ella Karst poured in 35 points for the Lady Bears. Reagan Clem had an impressive performance in her first varsity start as she hit four of five 3-pointers in a 14-point effort.
McGeorge hit four of fives shots in the opening quarter and Lamb pulled down six rebounds as Bell took a 23-15 lead. The Lady Bears were still within eight late in the half on a 3-pointer by Faith Hoskins and basket by Karst before Bell closed the half with an 8-0 run on two baskets each by McGeorge and Wilder to go up 45-28 at halftime.
The Lady Bears exploded for 25 points in the third quarter, led by four baskets from Karst and three from Clem, to cut the deficit to 64-53.
Bell fought off the HC comeback attempt by hitting nine of 13 shots in the fourth quarter, led by three baskets each from Wilder and Lamb.
Harlan County (7-9) returns to action Friday at home against Middlesboro in a girls/boys doubleheader. Bell County (11-4) will play Boyd County on Friday at noon in the 2A state tournament.