Harlan County knocks out defending champs in school’s first Boys’ Sweet 16 win
If Harlan County’s Black Bears had any nerves playing in their school’s only second appearance in the UK HealthCare Boys’ Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena, they didn’t show it Thursday.
Harlan County (32-4) jumped all over defending state champion Warren Central with a 14-2 run in the first quarter and clutch buckets the rest of the way to deliver the Bears’ first state tournament win, 67-59, in Thursday’s first-round opener.
Harlan County’s Trent Noah, the 13th region player of the year and a South Carolina signee, scored 35 points, including six 3-pointers, and delivered a dagger blow to Warren Central comeback hopes when his final long-range shot gave the Bears a 63-57 lead with 1:06 left.
“My teammates always trust me and put me in the right spots to help us win,” said Noah, who came open on the left wing on and inbounds play for his final 3-pointer. “I just know I needed to step up whenever they were making a little run and try to get the tide back on our side.”
Warren Central, making its third straight Sweet 16 appearance despite missing standout senior Kade Unseld for much of the season, battled back to within one possession six times over the course of the game, the last when Elijah Starks hit one of two free throws to trim Harlan County’s lead to 60-57 with 2:20 to play.
“We took a few bad shots at inopportune times where we’ve had the game at two or had it at three and we just didn’t make the plays we need to make,” said Warren Central coach William Unseld, whose 2023 state champs lost four starters to graduation and finish this season 17-12. “To our kids’ credit, they fought to get back in it.”
Harlan County’s Maddox Huff scored 15 points and had a pair of 3-pointers in the Bears’ first quarter run. He had another big 3-pointer to end the third quarter and put his team up 55-44. Huff said he and his teammates were prepared for the pressure.
“There’s always a little bit of nerves going in just because it’s such a big stage and something that you’ve dreamed about for a long time,” Huff said. “But … I don’t feel like any of us were really nervous. I feel like we’ve put in all the work that we needed to do to perform the way we wanted to.”
Noah especially frustrated Warren Central’s attempts to get back in the game. Noah went 11-for-19 from the field, 6-of-8 from 3-point range and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
“Every time we made a run, we lost (Noah),” Unseld said. “I’m looking at my kids, and I’m like: ‘It’s THAT guy, the biggest dude on the floor.’ And we kept losing him. … it don’t matter who you’ve got, if you see (Noah) running wide open, you go to him.”
Harlan County’s only other appearance in the Sweet 16 came in 2017 under coach Kyle Jones’ brother, Mike Jones.
“This is the first time one of the county schools — before consolidation even — that we had a team win a game in the state tournament. So this is a special, special day,” Jones said. “We feel like we can play with a lot of people, especially if we’re making shots. ... I think these guys have a little more to prove.”
This story was originally published March 21, 2024 at 2:51 PM.
