OWENSBORO — Making their first trip to the Kentucky 2A State Tournament, the Harlan County Black Bears took control in the second half in pulling away for a 53-36 win Friday over Mercer County at the Owensboro Sportscaster.
Senior guard Maddox Huff scored 20 points, all but three in the second half, to lead the 13-4 Bears. Junior guard Reggie Cottrell carried the HCHS offense in the first half and finished with 13 points. Brody Napier had nine points and seven rebounds.
Senior center Trevor Ellis paced the 11-5 Titans with 15 points.
The two teams played two weeks earlier at South Laurel in the Raymond Reed Classic with Harlan County winning 70-58. The Bears took control in the second quarter of that game. Harlan County led by only two at halftime in the reattach before outscoring Mercer 17-5 in the third period.
Both offenses struggled in the opening quarter as Cottrell and Brody Napier had the only two baskets in the first three minutes for an early 4-0 Harlan County lead. Those were the only two field goals in the quarter for the Bears, however, as Mercer took a 9-6 lead by the end of the period led by six points from Ellis.
The lead changed hands seven times over the final four minutes of the first half with Trent Cole putting up Harlan County 21-20 at the break as he scored off a drive. Cottrell had seven points in the period to lead the Bears.
A Huff 3 followed by a Jaycee Carter basket off a Napier pass got the Bears off to a good start in the third quarter. Harlan County closed with a 7-0 run on baskets by Cole, Napier and Carter to build a 38-25 lead.
Huff hit his first five shots in the fourth quarter and scored the Bears’ first 10 points as HC and Mercer traded baskets for much of the period. Huff and Cottrell had baskets and Napier hit three of four free throws as the Bears closed with a 7-0 run to earn a spot in Saturday’s semifinals against Christian Academy of Louisville. Calloway County will play Larue County in the other semifinal. The championship game is set for Sunday.