With 111 points between them in 24 minutes in Friday’s fifth- and sixth-grade county championship game at Harlan County High School, Rosspoint and Evarts put on quite an offensive show with shots falling from both sides while the lead changed hands time and time again before Rosspoint pulled away for a 62-49 win.
Evarts took its last lead at three points after consecutive baskets by Carson Clark and Jase Wynn to open the fourth quarter.
Rosspoint fifth-grade point guard Weston Nolan took over from there, first with a 3 to tie the game, then with a 3 to take the lead. Nolan added a basket on the next trip then found Braison Fox for a layup for a seven-point that sealed the win and county championship. Rosspoint went on to close out a a win in the third and deciding game between the two rivals as Nolan poured in 34 points.
“He’s a big gamer. He’s mine, but he lives for these moments,” Rosspoint coach Anthony Nolan said of his son. “I’m proud of him for wanting the ball in that situation. He enjoys making his teammates better, but he also knows when he needs to look to take a shot.”
Nolan, who has won over 400 games in high school boys and girls basketball coaching along with seven district championships and three regional runner-up finishes, admitted the title was especially sweet with his son on the team.
“We came out of football a little bit late and jumped right into basketball. We’re still one of the younger teams. I thought this group could be special. I want to keep them together and keep improving. I don’t want this to be their ceiling,” Nolan said. “I made that clear from the first day of practice. We want to prepare them for the next level.”
Nolan, who coached the Harlan County fifth- and sixth-grade football team to one of the best seasons in county history last fall, was impressed by the Wildcats, including several who were top players for his football team.
“It’s a solid group,” Nolan said. “The majority of mine are fifth graders, but Evarts has a great group of sixth graders with experience. They are just warriors. They just shot the ball so well. With that many points at this level, I think the future for Harlan County High School looks really good.”
The 111 points scored were the most in the county championship game since Wallins edged Loyall 63-62 in triple overtime in 1995.
Lakin Smith added 17 points for Rosspoint, which didn’t lose another county league game after falling to Evarts in the season opener.
Wynn and Rayce Bryant, two of the leaders for the HC fifth- and sixth-grade football team, led Evarts with 22 and 16 points, respectively.
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Isaiah Myers poured in 26 points to lead Cawood to a 50-46 overtime win over Wallins in the third-place game. Ashton Partin added 10 points.
Sam Carmical paced Wallins with 26 points.
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Rosspoint (62) — Weston Nolan 34, Lakin Smith 17, Braison Fox 5, Jayden Peck 6
Evarts (49) — Jase Wynn 22, Rayce Bryant 16, Brady White 5, Carson Clark 4, Chandler Salyer 2.
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Cawood (50) — Isaiah Myers 26, Ashton Partin 10, Micah Cochran 9, William Cook 5.
Wallins (46) — Maddox Helton 5, Sam Carmical 26, Maddox Landa 13, Carter Collett 2.