Bell County was staring at a 38-30 deficit heading into the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 52nd District Tournament title game before finally catching fire.
The Lady Bobcats we’re struggling offensively, and it looked as if Harlan County would be cutting down the nets, but then all of the sudden, Bell County started hitting its shots.
Two 3-pointers and an eight-point scoring effort by Lauren McGeorge combined with six points from Gracie Jo Wilder, and a 3-pointer, and four points from Mataya Ausmus was enough to lead the Lady Bobcats to a 48-44 come from behind win along with their fourth straight 52nd District title.
Wilder led Bell County with 18 points while Ausmus turned in a stellar effort, hitting for key 3-pointers while scoring 14 points. Lauren McGeorge also scored in double figures, finishing with 10 points.
The play of Ella Karst allowed Harlan County to jump out and take control of the game early. She scored seven points in the first quarter while adding seven more points in the second quarter as the Lady Black Bears held a 27-24 halftime advantage.
Two 3-pointers by Kylie Jones in the third quarter allowed Harlan County’s lead grow to 38-30 with eight minutes remaining.
But that’s when Bell County took over.
The Lady Bobcats limited the Lady Black Bears to only three field goals in the fourth quarter while Harlan County also misfired on three free throw attempts. The Lady Black Bears finished 5-of-11 at the free-throw line.
The stage is now set for the 13th Region Tournament with North Laurel (49th District), Corbin (50th District), Knox Central (51st District), and Bell County (52nd District) entering as their respective district champions.
Jackson County (49th District), South Laurel (50th District), Pineville (51st District), and Harlan County (52nd District) will enter be entering the 13th Region Tournament as their respective district’s runner-ups.
The 13th Region Girls’ Tournament draw will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Corbin Arena.
