CORBIN — Defense and rebounding carried Bell County into the semifinals of the 13th Region Girls’ Basketball Tournament on Tuesday as the Lady Bobcats held off Whitley County for a 39-30 victory at The Arena.
Bell County (24-7) controlled the pace early and used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from the Lady Colonels.
The game started as a defensive battle with both teams struggling to find offensive rhythm.
Bell County led 6-4 after the first quarter and stretched the advantage to 14-6 by halftime as both teams combined for just 20 points in the opening half.
Whitley County (15-16) made its push in the third quarter, cutting into the deficit behind improved offensive execution.
The Lady Colonels outscored Bell County 12-8 in the period to trim the margin to 22-18 heading into the final quarter.
But, Bell County answered in the fourth.
Behind the play of Kairi Lamb, the Lady Bobcats outscored Whitley County 17-12 over the final eight minutes to secure the nine-point win and a spot in the regional semifinals against North Laurel.
Lamb led all scorers with 18 points and dominated the glass with 14 rebounds.
Other scoring contributions came from Nevaeh Allen had six points while Brylee Redmond had five points and Bristal Jordan finished with four points.
Bell County finished the game shooting 31.6 percent from the floor and went 14-of-24 from the free throw line while Whitley County struggled offensively, shooting just 12-of-38 from the floor, including 1-of-15 from 3-point range.
Maddy Hopkins led the Lady Colonels with 14 points while Jonna Rice finished with six points and 15 rebounds.
