A sizzling performance from long distance and a gritty effort inside the painted area provided the winning combination Tuesday night for the Harlan Green Dragons in the 13th Region All “A” Classic inside Sparks Gymnasium at Oneida Baptist Institute.
The Dragons knocked down 11 3-point shots, while sophomore Kobe Noe and junior Legend Mimes combined for 24 points from close range to propel the Green Dragons to a lopsided 73-46 win over 52nd District rival Middlesboro.
The victory marked Harlan’s 14th regional All “A” Classic championship and sends the Green Dragons into the State All “A” Classic next week in Owensboro.
Harlan (7-8) never trailed in the game and took command early in the first quarter thanks to the outside shooting of Dylan Cox, Ethan Huff and Jaxson Perry.
Cox converted two shots from behind the 3-point line, while triples by Huff and Perry staked the Green Dragons to a 14-7 lead just past the midway point of the opening quarter.
Harlan led 18-12 after eight minutes.
Triples by Cox and Izack Saylor fueled a 10-0 scoring run by the Green Dragons to open the second quarter, before the Yellow Jackets answered with an 8-0 run of their own to cut Harlan’s lead to 28-20.
Perry’s second 3-pointer of the game marked the team’s seventh triple of the first half, and the Green Dragons led 33-24 at the intermission.
Noe scored nine of his game-high 22 points during the third quarter, including the first of his two baskets from behind the 3-point line. Saylor and Huff each added a 3-pointer during the stanza and Harlan led 52-39 heading into the final quarter.
Perry scored eight of his 16 points during the fourth quarter, while Mimes converted three offensive rebounds into put-back buckets to effectively seal the Yellow Jackets’ fate.
Harlan led by as many as 29 points prior to the final horn, and coach Derrick Akal was able to substitute freely down the stretch.
Cox added 13 points for the Green Dragons.
Senior Joseph Killion was the lone Middlesboro player to score in double figures with 17 points, while senior Aiden Larew and junior Bryson Brooks chipped in with eight and seven points, respectively for the Yellow Jackets.
Harlan is scheduled to host Clay County on Thursday and has a road game Friday at Hazard. Next up for Middlesboro (9-7) is a game Friday at Knox Central, followed by a Saturday game against Jackson County as part of the Bobby Keith Classic hosted by Clay County.
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Harlan (73) — Jaxson Perry 16, Izack Saylor 8, Dylan Cox 13, Ethan Huff 6, Kobe Noe 22, Legend Mimes 6, Eli Noe 0, Braxton Rowe 0, Evan Jones 0, Caden Mefford 2, Dylan Collins 0.
Middlesboro (46) — Joseph Killion 17, Bryson Brooks 7, Mekhi Young 1, Jacob Tinnell 6, Aiden Larew 8, Malachi Coots 4, Chandler Cox 0, Emmitt Butler 2, Anthony Miracle 1, Brooklyn Huff 0, Nathan Nichols 0, Major Shirley 0.
Harlan 18-15-19-21–73
Middlesboro 12-12-15-7–46
