Harlan County’s hopes of a regional championship were dealt a serious blow on Monday when standout freshman point guard Trent Noah was sidelined with a broken foot and torn tendon, apparently suffered last week in a win over Bell County in the semifinals of the 52nd District Tournament.
“We are all disappointed for Trent. It’s obvious what he means to our team,” Harlan County coach Michael Jones said. “We now know he’s been playing with a broken foot for awhile. That tells you what type of kid he is and the toughness he has. I have no doubts he will get back sooner than later and will be stronger than before.”
Noah became the first eighth-grader in program history to play for the Bears last season and helped lead HCHS to the regional finals before a hard-fought loss to Knox Central. Noah averaged 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Ranked among the state’s top freshman in the preseason and among the 13th Region’s top five players this year by the Cats Pause, Noah was averaging 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds this season as the Bears built a 19-5 record going into the 13th Region Tournament.
Noah reportedly suffered the injury late in the first half of the game against Bell County but was able to continue playing and finished with 17 points in a 56-47 win. He scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on Friday in a 61-55 loss to Harlan in the district finals.
Harlan County is scheduled to play Knox Central on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s regional finals.
“Although it’s very disappointing, our goals haven’t changed,” Jones said. “Everyone in our circle doesn’t just think we can win, we all know/believe we can.”