CORBIN —
By Les Dixon
Sports Editor
The Barbourville Tigers will try to pull off the upset while the Clay County Tigers will try to keep their dreams of winning their first 13th Region title since 2001 when the two teams meet today in first round action of the 13th Region Tournament.
The Tigers (19-11) are coming off a 60-45 loss to Knox Central in the finals of the 51st District Tournament while the Tigers (23-6) won their 10th straight 49th District crown with a 74-68 win over North Laurel.
Barbourville coach Dinky Phipps admitted his team has its hands full against Clay County and needs to get back to the way it was playing in early February when the Tigers upset Harlan County on the road.
“We’ve got to get back to playing like that,” he said. “I didn’t feel like we played well at all in the district championship and if we don’t, we’re going to have a short stay.
“Clay is Clay,” he added. “They are a very good team and we’ve got to play hard to win.”
Clay County coach Robert Marcum believes the key is to find a way to slow down Barbourville senior Devon Mills, who has put together a solid season for the Tigers.
“He is a very good player,” he said. “They have a lot of good players. Barbourville has surprised a lot of people this year after losing a lot of players from last year. They have competed really well and have a nice team over there. We’re going to have to play well to win.
“We’ve not played them this year,” he added. “They are capable of beating a Harlan County on their home floor. We don’t have a lot of preparation time, so we know we’ve got our hands full. We better be ready to play. This stage of the game we’re going to have to play three solid games and right now, we’re focused on Barbourville.”
Phipps admitted his team must find a way to slow down players such as Chip McDaniel and Marty Bowling.
“They both are pretty good players, so we’ve got to contain them,” he said. “For us, we’ve got to play a real good ball game and find a way to keep them from getting the ball on the baseline and in the middle. If we do that, I believe we have a chance.”
Local Sports
Barbourville looking to pull off upset of Clay County
- 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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