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By John Henson
Sports Writer
When the Corbin Redounds and Harlan County Black Bears last saw each other it was March and a 13th Region Tournament title was on the line.
The rematch came Friday in the opening week of the 2024-2025 season, and both looked like teams very capable of making it back to a championship game. Harlan County never trailed after the midpoint of the opening quarter, but the visiting Hounds would never go away and pushed until the final buzzer before the Bears held on for a 91-87 win.
“I’m proud of my kids. It’s been a quick turnaround for my football guys. I think we have a big upside once we get some games in and more practices,” Corbin coach Tony Pietrowski said. “Harlan County is everybody’s 1 or 2 (in the region) and deservedly so. We have another tough one Saturday against Madison Central. We’re looking to grow as a team, but I’m excited about what we can be.”
“Our defense could have been a whole lot better. I’m pleased with our offensive production, but we have to defend better,” Harlan County coach Kyle Jones said. “You can defend hard without fouling, but we got a little handsy. Corbin has a good team and is underrated in the region. We made some mental errors late. We went to the stall and made our free throws at the end.”
Harlan County senior guard Maddox Huff continued to build on his all-state resume and was the star of stars in Friday’s showdown as his 49-point performance helped the Bears hold off several impressive performances on the Corbin side. Brody Napier and Reggie Cottrell added 12 points each.
“Good players, sometimes you don’t realize how many they have until after the game,” Jones said. “I feel we’re in good shape condition wise. We just have to keep getting better on the defensive side.”
“He’s a hard shot maker. He makes a lot of shots that are tremendously hard, so you can tell he works on his game,” Pietrowski said. “Obviously, he and (former HCHS star) Trent (Noah) have put in a lot of time, and it’s his time to shine. He is definitely a special player.”
Corbin was led by a 35-point effort from Ryder Akins, who is quickly establishing himself as one of the state’s top freshmen. Dawson Farmer, also a freshman, added 16 points. Eli Pietrowski and Conner Blackburn chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
“I think I have two of the best freshmen in the state in Ryder Akins and Dawson Farmer,” Pietrowski said. “They are young and inexperienced but are super talented and want to get better. We have a lot of good pieces on this team, and I’m excited about what they can turn into.”
After a couple of early lead changes, Huff ignited a 7-0 run with the second of his four 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Huff had 14 points in the period as the Bears built a 26-17 lead.
The Bears had eight baskets in the second period compared to three for the Hounds, but Corbin stayed close at the free throw line and trailed 40-32 at the break.
Akins hit five straight shots in the third quarter as part of a nine-of-16 period for the Hounds. Harlan County hit 10 of 12 shots in the quarter, led by Huff’s six of eight, as the lead grew to 64-54.
The Bears’ advantage reached 17, at 79-62, with 4:20 left. Akins and Farmer teamed for nine baskets in the fourth quarter as Corbin battled back, getting as close as five on four occasions in the final two minutes. Huff and Trent Cole combined to hit six straight free throws as HCHS answered each time. Cottrell’s dunk on a long out of bounds pass put the game away before Lucas Brittain hit a 3 at the buzzer.
“Our kids have a lot of moxie,” Pietrowski said. “It’s a weird situation because we haven’t put a lot in or worked on situations. We come down and cut it to four, and I think if we were a little more seasoned we’d understand the importance of another stop. Those things will come.”
Harlan County will play Betsy Layne on Saturday at 4:30 at Hazard’s Memorial Gym as part of the D.J. Begley Classic. Corbin will play Madison Central on Saturday at 2 p.m. as part of the Legacy Nissan Classic at North Laurel.
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Sophomore guards Cole Cornett and Landon Brock each scored 14 points as Harlan County claimed a 48-37 win in junior varsity action. Bryson Bryant added nine points for the 2-0 Bears. Hayden Grace chipped in with three. Kaden Jones, Brady Smith, Brady Freeman and Thyler Coots scored two each.
Tayton Cox led.Corbin with 10 points. Luke Hatfield scored nine. Braxton Tolliver added eight. Keaton Smith scored six. Clay Akins added four.