LEXINGTON — While Harlan County was not represented by a team at this year’s UK Health Care Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena, a Harlan County native was on the sideline Thursday.
Casey Huff, a 2006 Harlan graduate, led Hazard to this year’s state tournament in his first season as coach after three years at Knott Central. The Bulldogs last won the 14th Region in 2020 but didn’t get to play in the state tournament due to covid, so it was the first game at Rupp Arena for Hazard since 2009.
Hazard scored the game’s first five points and led 7-3 midway through the first quarter before going ice cold. Butler, the 6th Region champions out of Louisville, took the lead in the second period and held on for a 54-39 victory.
“We were happy to be here. If you’re going to end your season there is no better place to end it than at Rupp Arena,” Huff said. “We had a difficult time hitting shots all night. We had a rough time getting our feet under us.”
Huff played at Harlan High School under current Harlan County assistant Casey Lester, who played in three state tournaments in the 1990s with Mike Jones and the Green Dragons.
“I’m proud of him,” Lester said Wednesday. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times since he won the region. I told him to enjoy the process and take it one game at a time. Cherish the moment and enjoy what he’s accomplished because it doesn’t happen all the time.”
Senior guard Seth Caudill, the 14th Region’s player of the year, led the 24-11 Bulldogs with 14 points.
Adrian Wilder scored 18 to pace the 27-5 Bears.
Even though the Bulldogs start four seniors this year, Huff said the experience will help his program in the long run.
“It’s big. My heart is filled with gratitude. I feel very fortunate to be in the position I’m in and to work with the people I work with. It’s a full team effort, and I’m happy to be along for the ride,” Huff said. “It seems the wins are fleeting and the losses feel like they stay with you forever. We have to get back to the lab and try to figure out how use this as traction going forward and build a program with some real sustainability that can get here often and can compete at a high level.”
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Butler (54) — Brandon Heath 2, Santana Anderson 8, Brayden Wilkins 9, Henrich Barjolo 7, Adrian Wilder 18, Steven Tinsley 6, Justin Green 4.
Hazard (39) — Seth Caudill 14, Talan Osborne 9, Trace Kincaid 5, Tucker Napier 0, Tucker Johnson 7, Javion Fullwood 2, Luke Combs 2.
