Playing in its third game in four nights this week, the youth-laden Harlan boys basketball team showed no signs of fatigue Friday night.
Freshmen Kobe Noe and Ethan Huff combined for 37 points to spearhead a balanced scoring attack and the Green Dragons overcame a sluggish second quarter en route to a 73-64 home victory over Lee High (Va.).
Noe scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for coach Derrick Akal’s Harlan squad, while Huff knocked down four shots from behind the 3-point arc on his way to 18 points. Freshmen Izack Saylor and Jaxson Perry each added 13 points.
Following a loss the night before at Knott County Central, Akal was quick to credit his team’s ability to bounce back on tired legs and secure the win against a scrappy Lee team.
“We’ve got young guys, and they don’t think about that. They just want to play,” Akal said. “Being tired, some, helps, because that slows it down a little bit. You have to see things correctly, and I thought there were possessions where we were getting rebounds and only giving them one shot, and that helped get us out in transition. It was more about them slowing the game down.”
Harlan got an early boost Friday from Huff, who helped jump-start the Green Dragons with three 3-point baskets during the first quarter.
With Huff lighting it up from outside, Noe asserted himself inside the paint through the early stages and scored six points from close range to pace Harlan to a 21-14 lead after eight minutes.
Lee dug itself out of the early hole during a productive second quarter that featured a 13-0 scoring run and resulted in the Generals taking a 31-29 lead at halftime. Sophomore Braylen Pendergraft hit two 3-pointers during the run.
“That was huge,” Lee coach Mike Collins said about his team’s scoring run. “I told them at halftime that if we can carry that momentum into the third quarter, we’ll be good.”
It didn’t happen.
Freshman Izack Saylor and Noe sandwiched inside baskets around a 3-point basket by Huff to open the third quarter, and the Green Dragons kept their collective foot on the gas pedal for the balance of the contest.
Noe scored eight straight points for the Green Dragons during the pivotal first four minutes after halftime, and Harlan stretched its lead to as many as 13 points, 51-38.
“It was not necessarily making adjustments,” Akal said. “It was more about being able to execute, stand together and just lock in on the things we’ve been talking about the entire season.”
Leading 53-45 through three quarters, Harlan struggled to take care of the basketball during the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and Lee cut the Green Dragons’ lead to three points, 64-61, with just less than three minutes remaining in the contest.
Following a pair of Harlan turnovers, junior Dylan Cox converted consecutive layups after miscues by Lee to help the Green Dragons effectively seal the Generals’ fate.
Akal offered high praise of Noe and Huff after the game, but was quick to note his pleasure with the balanced scoring attack and toughness on defense.
“That’s impressive, and I’m super proud of him,” Akal said about the double-double recorded by Noe. “He’s not going to wow you with his athleticism, but he does everything good. His future is so bright. He works so hard, everybody loves him and he’s an excellent leader.
“Ethan Huff had his best game of the season, but we just had contributions from everybody. With a young team, you have to have strength in numbers. Everybody has to contribute in every facet of the game, and I thought for the most part, they did.”
Lee senior Brynnen Pebdergraft led all scorers with 22 points, while junior Cutchin Wynn chipped in with 11 points for the Generals.
“We shot the ball well, attacked the rim well, and we pressured the ball pretty well, but (Noe) hurt us down low quite a bit,” Collins said. “I knew they were going to punch it down low in the second half, and it’s just hard to defend him. We made some crucial turnovers down near the end that hurt us, but overall it was a good ballgame.”
Next up for Harlan (5-19) is a home game Tuesday against Pineville.

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Eli Noe scored 12 points to lead Harlan in a 43-33 junior varsity loss. Braxton Rowe and Caden Mefford added six points each for the 1-9 Dragons. Gibson Wilder tossed in four, followed by Dalton Halcomb with three and Nate Cochran with two.