With her Leslie County Lady Eagles down by one point going into the fourth quarter on Tuesday at Harlan County, Courtney Hoskins demonstrated why she is considered one of the 14th Region’s best players.
The junior guard took over, hitting three straight shots in a personal 8-1 run that put Leslie in control. She hit five of five shots in the decisive final stanza and scored 12 of her game-high 19 points as Leslie outscored HCHS 16-5 on the way to a 50-40 victory.
While the Lady Eagles were hitting seven of 10 shots in the quarter, the Lady Bears wilted with the game on the line, hitting only one of 10 shots from the field in the period and 15 of 53 for the game for 29 percent, including a one-for-11 night from behind the 3-point line as a three-game winning streak came to an end.
Ella Karst led the 3-3 Lady Bears with 13 points.
Emma Napier added 12 points and nine rebounds for the 3-2 Lady Eagles.
Leslie struggled on offense early, hitting only two of 15 shots in the opening quarter. Harlan County built a 9-5 lead with the help of three baskets from Karst but missed a chance to take control with a three-of-13 shooting performance as a team in the period.
The lead changed hands several times in the second quarter as Harlan County struggled against Leslie pressure with eight turnovers. Emma Napier had two baskets and four rebounds in the period, including a basket in the closing seconds of the half to put Leslie up 23-21 at the break.
Freshman center Abbi Fields provided a lift off the bench for the Lady Bears in the third quarter, scoring twice in the final 90 seconds to give HCHS a 35-34 lead going into the final period.
The Lady Bears return to action Thursday at Pineville, then travel to Bell County for a girls/boys doubleheader on Friday. Leslie County will be at home Thursday against Buckhorn.