Lady Dragons overpower OBI in 13th Region All ‘A’ Classic opener

Published 4:50 pm Sunday, January 12, 2025

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MIDDLESBORO — The Harlan Lady Dragons opened defense of their 13th Region All “A” Classic title in dominating fashion Sunday at Middlesboro High School, scoring the game’s first 30 points on the way to a 75-10 victory over Oneida Baptist.
Harlan took advantage of 17 first-quarter turnovers to turn the game into a rout in the opening minutes. The Lady Dragons hit 15 of 24 shots in the first quarter and outscored the outmanned Lady Mountaineers 30-0. The OBI roster included only eight players, with four of those in middle school.
Even though the game was a clear mismatch, Harlan coach Mackenzie Varner was happy to see her team get back on the court and not be delayed another day. The tournament was originally scheduled to start Saturday but was pushed back a day due to the winter storm that hit the region Friday.
“We wanted to come in and work on things we needed to work on,” Varner said. “I’m glad we got to play. I hope we get to play three in a row.”
Aymanni Wynn and Kylie Noe each scored 14 to lad the 8-8 Lady Dragons. Cheyenne Rhymer chipped in with 10 points.
Sophomore forward Bailey Bristow led the 1-6 Lady Mountaineers with seven points and nine rebounds.
The Lady Dragons recorded eight straight layups, most coming off turnovers, in the opening three minutes. Aymanni Wynn had four baskets and Noe added three to lead Harlan in the first quarter.
Varner went to her reserves midway though the opening period and substituted regularly the remainder of the game. Eighth-grader Addyson Patton had three baskets in the second quarter as the Lady Dragons outscored OBI 15-2 to stretch the lead to 45-2 at halftime. Bristow had the first Oneida Baptist basket in the opening seconds of the period.
Rhymer, Noe and Aymanni Wynn had three baskets each to lead the Lady Dragons in the third period as they outscored OBI 26-5 to take a 71-7 advantage into the final period.
Harlan will play Jackson County on Monday at 6 in the semifinals. Pineville will play Middlesboro in the second semifinal.
The championship game is set for Tuesday with the winner advancing to state All “A” Classic competition in Owensboro.

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