CORBIN —
By John Henson For the Times-Tribune
If the Harlan County Lady Bears are to make another run at the 13th Region title, junior guards Lauren Lee and Kaitlyn Stittums will be counted on to graduate from their jobs a year ago as role players.
The athletic backcourt duo took on a leadership role Tuesday as the Lady Bears, runner up to Clay County last year, opened the season with a 65-34 rout of visiting Williamsburg.
After being held without a basket in the first quarter as Harlan County held on to a slim four-point lead, Lee and Stittums came alive in the second period with four baskets each. Each turned turnovers into points as Harlan County forced seven with its press, leading to a 12-for-21 shooting performance. The Lady Bears closed the quarter with a 21-2 run to build a commanding 40-15 lead at the break.
"I think the big thing was they got a little tired," Harlan County coach Anthony Nolan said. “We were aggressive the first quarter but didn’t get much out of it. We weren’t converting. The second quarter we started finishing the plays off. Once we settled down, our defense created a lot of shots.”
“We weren’t smart and didn't handle the basketball. They played great press defense in the second quarter for sure,” Williamsburg coach Andrea Ellis said.
Harlan County's backcourt trio carried the offense as freshman Brooklyn Massingill scored 19, followed by Stittums with 11 and Lee with nine.
Massingill supplied most of the offense in the first quarter with three baskets to help HCHS take a 14-10 lead. Tarrah Davis and Carissa Conlin each had three-pointers for Williamsburg.
A basket by Kacie Brown pulled the Lady Jackets within six with 6:06 left before a flurry of steals by Harlan County quickly turned the game into a rout.
“We didn’t set up in our offense or run the things I was asking them to run,” Ellis said. “I don't know. We weren’t ourselves tonight. That was not the team I’ve been coaching for the last two or three months. It stinks to drive this far and get beat like this. All we can do is learn from it.”
Local Sports
Lady Jackets drop season-opener to Harlan Co.
- Local Sports
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Jumpers stun North
Both North Laurel and Somerset struggled at the plate for six innings, but that didn’t mean the two teams weren’t going to provide some fireworks during the game’s final inning of play Thursday.
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On the move
Mother Nature played a big role during the opening day of the Boys and Girls State Tennis Tournaments. She caused just enough havoc to put a major dent into Thursday’s first and second round schedules.
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Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
The Whitley County Lady Colonels found themselves in a slugfest for most of the night against Clay County Thursday.
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Colonels win big
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted the way Whitley County senior Alex Rose’s final start of the season went down Thursday.
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Carson comes big against Bears
Senior Night turned out to be a great day for North Laurel’s lone senior Marcus Carson.
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Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
The Corbin Lady Redhounds went into Thursday’s game against Middlesboro riding a five-game win streak and winners of seven of the past nine. The streak didn’t last though, as the Lady Yellow Jackets outplayed Corbin to a tune of 10-0 in five innings.
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SPORTS HEADLINES - MAY 17, 2013
Jumpers stun North
On the move
Local players advance in boys & girls state tennis action
Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
Colonels win big
Carson comes big against Bears
Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
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Corbin falls short
The Corbin Lady Redhounds’ quest for a state championship came to an end Wednesday at the University of Kentucky’s Boone Tennis Center after dropping a 3-0 decision to Sacred Heart in Final Four action.
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No slowing down
Those who know outgoing Corbin High School freshman Alex “Dub” Smith will tell you that, despite being born with a disability, he's your average run-of-the-mill American teenager.
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Fear 'Les' 13th Region Diamond Rankings
It’s been very difficult for me the past couple of weeks to decide on who is the top rated team in the 13th Region.
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