The Harlan Green Dragons parlayed defensive intensity into offensive efficiency Monday night inside the Sparks Gymnasium at Oneida Baptist Institute, defeating Barbourville 56-29 in the semifinals of the 13th Region Boys All “A” Classic.
With the win, coach Derrick Akal’s squad advances to Tuesday night’s championship game against Middlesboro. The Yellow Jackets edged host OBI in the other Monday semifinal, 53-52.
Harlan (6-8) got off to a fast start against the Tigers and never looked back, holding Barbourville scoreless during the second quarter and building a 34-8 lead by halftime.
Sophomore center Kobe Noe followed his monster performance Saturday against Jackson County (28 points and 13 rebounds) with another solid effort at both ends of the court Monday for the Green Dragons. Noe finished with game-highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds against the Tigers.
Noe scored five of the game’s first eight points, and 3-point baskets by sophomore Jaxson Perry and Dylan Cox staked Harlan to an early 11-2 lead.
Barbourville (4-8) answered with six straight points to make it 11-8, but the Green Dragons held the Tigers scoreless over the ensuing 10 minutes to take full command of the contest.
Harlan junior forward Legend Mimes scored all seven of his points during the 21-point second quarter, while sophomore teammate Izack Saylor knocked down a pair of long 3-point shots.
An inside basket by senior Logan Stepp snapped the Tigers’ scoreless streak during the first minute of the third quarter, but Harlan then reeled off a 14-2 scoring run that started the running scoreboard clock with 4:07 remaining in the stanza.
Saylor knocked down two more 3-point shots during the run, while Noe chipped in with a triple of his own, allowing Akal to substitute freely for the balance of the contest.
Saylor scored 12 points and collected five rebounds for Harlan. The Green Dragons converted a crisp 50 percent of their two-point attempts from the field (10 of 20) and knocked down nine of their 20 tries from behind the 3-point line (45 percent).
Harlan outrebounded Barbourville by a 27-13 margin and committed just five turnovers.
Barbourville got six points apiece from junior Trace Wood and sophomore Evan Sizemore.
A win Tuesday over Middlesboro would be the school’s 14th regional All “A” Classic title. The Green Dragons won their first regional All “A” Classic in 1990 and captured four straight championships from 2020-2023. Harlan also won the state All “A’ Classic in 1994 and 1995.
Next up for Barbourville is a game Friday at Pineville.
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Harlan (56) – Jaxson Perry 6, Izack Saylor 12, Dylan Cox 7, Ethan Huff 5, Kobe Noe 16, Legend Mimes 7, Eli Noe 1, Braxton Rowe 2, Evan Jones 0, Caden Mefford 0, Dylan Collins 0.
Barbourville (29) – Chase Wilder 4, Logan Stepp 5, Trace Wood 6, Carter Deaton 0, Noah King 3, Ian Ross 0, Noah Gross 0, Landon Gross 3, Evan Sizemore 6, Vernon Cole 0, Carson Wilder 2.
Harlan 13-21-19-3–56
Barbourville 8-0-11-10–29
