The stage is set for one heck of a 13th Region Boys’ Tournament championship game on Monday.
Everyone expected Nate Valentine’s North Laurel Jaguars to be in the position to have a chance to repeat as regional champions while Tony Pietrowski’s Corbin Redhounds have flown under the radar for most of the season.
But now, both teams are one win away from reaching their goal of advancing to the Sweet 16 with a opportunity to play at Rupp Arena.
The Jaguars (24-10) enter the game with a perfect 15-0 mark against 13th Region opponents. They currently possess a 30-game win streak against 13th region teams while posting a 42-1 mark against regional opponents the past three years.
North Laurel and Corbin faced each other at Corbin on Feb. 17 with the Jaguars coming away with an impressive 68-47 win.
McDonald’s All-American Reed Sheppard scored 26 points, and finished with 12 rebounds in the win while Brody Brock had 20 points, and Gavin Chadwell finished with 10 points, and eight rebounds.
Hayden Llewellyn led the Redhounds (23-7) with 15 points in the loss while Trey Worley finished with 11 points, and six rebounds.
“We’re really excited to have the opportunity to play tomorrow,” Valentine said. “Corbin is playing really well right now on both ends of the floor. It should be a great environment and an exciting night of basketball.”
The Jaguars have had their way with Corbin recently, winning nine straight games against the Redhounds since Feb. 14, 2017, including a 74-65 win in 2021’s 13th Region Tournament.
“North has been one of the prohibitive favorites all season long, and deservedly so,” Corbin coach Tony Pietrowski said. “Reed is the best all-around player in the state, and he has a stable full of talent around him.
“We have often thrived in the underdog role,” he added. “We understand that not many people give us a chance. We will put in some hard work, a solid plan, and bring our best effort on Monday.”
North Laurel’s road to the title game included wins over Harlan (55-52), and South Laurel (63-44) while the Redhounds handed regional co-favorite Harlan County (61-53), and Barbourville (58-34).
The Jaguars are led by Sheppard, who is averaging 22.3 points per game, and 8.6 rebounds per game. Ryan Davidson is tossing in 17.8 points pert game, and a 5.7 rebounding average. Chadwell is beginning to heat up at the right time, he’s averaging 11.7 points per game, and 6.2 rebounds per game. Sharp shooter Brody Brock is averaging 10.1 points per game while Colton Rawlings, who is also a top-notch defender, is averaging 6.4 points per game, and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Kyler Elza (4.5, 2.1), Chase Keen (2.9, 2.2), and Reece Davidson (2.8, 1.3) have also contributed this season.
Corbin could very well possess the most depth of any team in the 13th Region.
Llewellyn leads the Redhounds with a 16.3 scoring average while pulling down 3.6 rebounds per game. Carter Stewart is averaging 11.2 points per game, and 2.7 rebounds per game while Zander Curry could be the most underrated player in the region. He averaged 7.7 points per game and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game. Also big contributors to the Redhounds’ success are Eli Pietrowski (9.2, 4.9), Brody Wells (8.9, 5.3), Trey Worley (8.6, 5.5), Marc Warren (6.0, 4.3), and Kade Elam (3.8, 1.7).
Corbin enters Monday’s game with an 88-45 all-time record in the 13th Region Tournament. Monday’s appearance in the finals will mark the Redhounds’ 29th overall in the championship game. They’ve won 15 region titles while garnering 13 runner-up finishes.
North Laurel is 18-11 overall in 13th Region Tournament play, and will be playing in its sixth region title game on Monday. The Jaguars have won two region titles, and have placed runner-up three times.
