When Middlesboro forward Kailey Owens scored 36 points on Feb. 3, the Harlan Lady Dragons were unable to match her production in a 64-54 loss.
Owens scored 28 points in the rematch Wednesday at Harlan, but the Lady Dragons used a team approach this time in a 64-52 victory. Five Lady Dragons reached double figures in the win, led by senior guard Angel Wynn with 13 points. Emma Owens, Kylie Noe and Faith Hoskins added 12 points each. Aymanni Wynn chipped in with 10 points.
“I think it shows our unselfishness,” Harlan coach Tiffany Hamm said. “Anybody on my team open can shoot the ball and if somebody is open ahead of you we throw the ball to them. This team is unselfish and they like to play together. I think five in double figures shows that.”
Owens and Keevi Betts hit 3-pointers as Middlesboro grabbed a short-lived 6-5 lead just before junior guard Mallory James went out with a back injury after taking a hard fall when her shot under the basket was blocked. Harlan took over at that point, closing the period with a 13-2 run to go up 10. Angel Wynn hit two 3-pointers in the run while Aymanni Wynn added one. Faith Hoskins led the Harlan offense with two baskets in the quarter.
“We came out different,” Hamm said of the change from the previous loss at Middlesboro. “That was the gameplan. We wanted to go 100 miles per hour from the start, and we carried it out.”
“After Mallory went out, we really struggled handling the ball,” Middlesboro coach Scott Overbay said. “She has handled it 80 percent of the season.”
Harlan took over on the glass in the second period, led by four rebounds from Noe, and maintained a 10-point advantage, at 29-19, going into the break.
“They killed us on the boards,” Overbay said. “I have two freshmen and an eighth-grader in the post, and they just have to learn. Harlan is a very aggressive and physical team. My younger kids aren’t ready for that yet. I hope they are learning and will catch on in the next year or so.”
“We’ve been a good rebounding team all season, and we have two in Aymanni and Kylie who are double figure rebounders night in and night out,” Hamm said. “Having the two anchors in there and the guards coming in to help is important for any team.”
Middlesboro got as close as four early in the second half as Harlan missed its first four shots, all 3-pointers, but the Lady Dragons quickly recovered. Aymanni Wynn, Owens and Noe each had baskets and Angel Wynn hit a 3-pointer in a 12-0 run that put Harlan back in control.
The Lady Dragons led 45-28 after three quarters and built its advantage to 20 with three minutes left. Harlan hit eight of 12 shots in the final period, led by two baskets from Noe in the paint.
Harlan (5-9) returns to action Thursday at Letcher Central. Middlesboro (6-11) plays host to Pineville on Friday.