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By John Henson

Sports Writer

Michael Jones was determined to send a message, even if it took everyone on his bench for Thursday’s game at Harlan. It almost did.
Jones got 14 of his 15 players into the game in the first quarter alone as he searched for the right combination while his Clay County Tigers struggled against a young but energetic Harlan team coming off a 42-point loss two nights earlier at South Laurel. After trailing by one after one quarter, Clay took control in the second period on the way to an 88-50 victory.
“We had a game canceled Tuesday and didn’t practice well yesterday, so I had a feeling we may respond that way,” said Jones, an all-state guard at Harlan in the 1990s. “I warned them if they came out not ready to play because of who they thought the opponent was I was going to sit them on the bench. They weren’t ready to play.”
Harlan coach Derrick Akal said the Clay and South games, both against teams ranked among the 13th Region’s best, will help his squad down the road. The Dragons started four freshmen against Clay and played two more off the bench.
“This is who I am (as a coach). We’re going to take our whippings against teams like this, but they will appreciate it when they start to give them out. Our young guys are getting a lesson in what it takes. You have to play hard for 32 minutes,” Akal said. “We competed, They are just bigger and stronger. We’re just trying to get better every day.
Senior guards Jerrod Roark and Ethan Jackson led the 1-0 Tigers with 24 and 19 points, respectively, taking over in the second half by beating the Dragons off the dribble time and time again. Clay hit nine of 15 shots in the second period and nine of 14 in the third.
“We want to play downhill as much as we can with Roark and E.J. They are hard to guard because they are so strong,” Jones said. “We know they have to start hitting jump shots or people will back off them.”
Freshman guard Izack Saylor hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points, as did senior guard Nate Montanaro, to lead the 0-2 Green Dragons. Freshman center Kobe Noe added 10 points.
The lead changed hands several times in the opening period with Harlan going up 20-19 on a three-point play by Montanaro to end the quarter.
With the starters back in the second quarter, Clay reeled off 11 unanswered points to take control. Roark hit five straight shots in the period as the Tigers outscored Harlan 25-4 to go up 44-24 at the break.
Both offenses were sharp in the second quarter as the Tigers outscored Harlan 30-23 with Jackson hitting five of six shots. Saylor led Harlan with two 3-pointers. Huff and Noe also added two baskets.
The Dragons went cold again in the fourth quarter, connecting on only one of 10 shots as Clay won the quarter 14-3.
Harlan travels to Williamsburg on Monday. Clay County plays at South Laurel on Saturday as they take on the Cardinals in the Ted Cook Classic.