For the youngest team in Harlan County High School basketball history, finding a way to win close games against good teams had been elusive —  at least until Wednesday in the opening game of the 2A Section 7 Tournament at HCHS.
Harlan County trailed by 11 in the first quarter and 14 in the second quarter but found a way to get back in the game by halftime. Freshman guard Kylee Runions took over the fourth period, scoring 13 of her team’s 16 points as the Lady Bears rallied for a 54-52 victory over visiting Whitley County.
“We’ve been close against some good teams, but then it’s a turnover or a missed assignment or a missed free throw,” Harlan County coach Gary Greer said. “This was great. I will be honest. They’ve played so hard and been so close. It feels good to knock somebody off that’s ranked higher than you and having a really good season. It lets the girls know their hard work is paying off.”
Whitley (9-4) was a matchup problem for the smaller Lady Bears as 6-3 sophomore center Aubree Clemons hit seven of 10 shots in a 20-point performance. The Lady Colonels shot 56 percent (18 of 32) as a team.
“That girl is a hoss,” Greer said. “We tried several different things against her, but she can play. She has some really nice moves around the basket, and they’re quick. Raegan Landa and Lacey Robinson gave us everything they had down there. Our guards did a great job of putting ball pressure on them, especially later in the game. “
In order to counter Whitley’s size, the Lady Bears had to hit from the perimeter and shot a blazing 63 percent, connecting on 12 of 19.
“With our lack of size, we have to take a lot of 3s, and we have to make a lot of 3s,” Greer said. “If we can make 10 or more, we have a chance to win.”
Sophomore guards Khylea Ray Collier and Jonna Rice added 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Lady Bears also shot well, hitting 18 of 33 for 55 percent.
Runions scored 19 to lead the 4-10 Lady Bears. Eighth grader Reagan Clem and freshman Jaylee Cochran added 17 and 12 points, respectively.
“Kylee has been sick the last few weeks and hasn’t been able to practice a lot, so I was tickled to death to see her hit some shots,” Greer said. “She made some really big plays late in the game. She put it on the floor and got to the basket.”
Collier hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter as Whitley connected on seven of 11 shots and built an 18-7 lead.
Clemons and Madisyn Hopkins each scored inside as the Lady Colonels’ lead grew to 24-10 just before Greer called a timeout. The Lady Bears responded with a 14-0 run on three 3s by Clem and one 3 and a basket from Cochran to pull even. Collier’s fourth and final 3 gave Whitley a 27-24 lead at the break.
Whitley extended its lead to five in the third quarter, but HCHS stayed close as Runions hit two 3s and Cochran added one. Clemons hit five of five shots in the period as Whitley took a 41-38 lead into the fourth period.
With Whitley up by three, Runions reeled off eight straight points to give the Lady Bears a 49-44 lead with 4:15 left. Hopkins sparked a 6-0 run to put Whitley back on top. Runions scored on another drive to put HC on top 52-50. Clemons hit two free throws with 28 seconds to play to tie the game again. Runions hit two free throws with 8.2 seconds left for the winning margin. Jaycee Simpson stole a Whitley pass in the closing seconds to seal the win.
The Lady Bears will play Knox Central on Friday at 6 in the 2A semifinals at Bell County. Corbin will play McCreary Central in the other semifinal.