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LEXINGTON — One night after pummeling Shelby County by 29 points in the opening round of the Henry Clay Holiday Invitational, the Harlan County Black Bears were given an opportunity to test themselves against one of the state’s top teams in the semifinals.

The Bears knew they had to be at their best to have a chance, but the host Devils were the team on fire Friday. Henry Clay shot a scorching 68 percent (15 of 22) in the first half, scoring on its first eight possessions to take control early on the way to 77-45 victory.

“It got away from us in the first quarter with the way they shot the ball,” Harlan County coach Michael Jones said. “Anytime you play a team that athletic who shoots it that well it spells trouble. They shot 68 percent from the field the first half & 61 percent for the game. That’s hard for any team to overcome. We’ve got to learn from this one and put it behind us.”

Harlan County (5-3) hit 15 3-pointers a night earlier but struggled to find an open look against the Devils and were limited to two-of-14 shooting from behind the 3-point line. Henry Clay hit 11 of 22 in 3-pointers, led by senior guard Marquis Warrick, who hit four in an 18-point effort. Senior forward Marquis Mackey added 15 points. Sebian Dillard and Kanye Henderson added 10 each.

Senior guard Taylor Spurlock scored 13 for the Bears. Junior guard Tyler Cole added 10 points.

Henry Clay will play Bourbon County at 8:15 on Saturday for the tournament championship. Harlan County will meet Lafayette at 6:30 in the third-place game.

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Henry Clay 77, Harlan County 45

HARLAN COUNTY (5-3)

Trent Noah 3-5 0-0 6, Taylor Spurlock 6-17 0-2 13, Jackson Huff 1-3 0-0 2, Tyler Cole 3-5 4-5 10, Jacob Wilson 2-5 1-2 6, Josh Turner 0-0 0-0 0, Daniel Carmical 0-1 0-0 0, Jonah Swanner 0-1 0-0 0, Elisha Smallwood 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter Helton 0-0 0-0 0, Josh Sergent 1-1 0-1 2, James Gray 1-1 0-2 2, Alex Nantz 0-0 0-0 0, Tristan Cooper 0-0 4-4 4. Totals: 17-41 9-16 45.

HENRY CLAY (4-3)

Terron Hughes 3-3 0-0 8, Marquis Warrick 6-10 2-2 18, Sebian Dillard 4-7 0-0 10, Kanye Henderson 4-5 1-2 10, Marquis Mackey 6-11 2-2 15, Azbel Blackwell 2-3 0-0 5, Darik Holman 2-3 2-2 6, Jackson Fain 0-0 0-0 0, Harrison Lynch 0-0 0-0 0, Cyncere Gay 0-0 1-2 1, Ryan Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Sincere Madison 1-3 0-0 2, Konlin Brown 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 29-47 8-10 77.

Harlan County 5 14 13 13 — 45

Henry Clay 24 13 23 17 — 77

3-point goals: Harlan County 2-14 (Wilson 1-2, Spurlock 1-5, Noah 0-1, Swanner 0-1, Carmical 0-1, Cole 0-2, Clem 0-2), Henry Clay 11-22 (Warrick 4-7, Hughes 2-2, Dillard 2-4, Mackey 1-3, Henderson 1-2, Blackwell 1-2, Gay 0-1, Madison 0-1). Rebounds: Harlan County 20 (Huff 5, Noah 3, Gray 3, Turner 2, Smallwood 2, Spurlock 1, Cole 1, Wilson 1, Cooper 1, Nantz 1), Henry Clay 21 (Warrick 5, Dillard 5, Hughes 3, Holman 3, Miller 2, Henderson 1, Blackwell 1, Fain 1). Turnovers: Harlan County 8, Henry Clay 6. Technical fouls: Harlan County (bench, Spurlock), Henry Clay (Holman). Fouled out: None.