The Harlan Green Dragons made an early statement that they shouldn’t be taken lightly this season as identical 24 points efforts by Jaedyn Gist and Kyler McLendon played a big role in their team’s 71-63 win over South Laurel.
The eight-point victory marked the first time Harlan has defeated the Cardinals (0-1) in over 20 years going back to 2002.
The Green Dragons (1-0) also snapped a 14-game losing skid to South Laurel dating back to Jan. 19, 2002. Kaleb McLendon also scored in double figures for Harlan, finishing with 13 points.
Ashton Garland and Caden Jones each led the Cardinals in scoring with 18 points apiece while Parker Payne finished with 13 points. Garland finished with four 3-pointers.
South Laurel controlled the first half, taking an 18-14 advantage into the second quarter as Jones scored seven points in the first quarter.
Jones added seven more points while Payne scored six points, and Garland added five points to help the Cardinals take a 39-35 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Coach Derrick Akal’s halftime adjustments helped Harlan take control of the game in the third quarter by outscoring South Laurel, 22-10.
Gist scored nine points during the period while Kyler McLendon added seven points while Will Austin added six points allowing the Green Dragons to take a 57-49 lead into the fourth quarter.
Harlan put the game away during the final eight minutes as Gist added six more points while Kaleb McLendon connected with his third 3-pointer of the game. Both teams scored 14 points apiece during the game’s final eight minutes.
Garland tried to keep South Laurel within striking distance by hitting three 3-pointers while scoring nine points in the fourth quarter.
Harlan will be back in action during next week’s WYMT Mountain Classic while the Cardinals will play McCreary Central during Saturday’s Ted Cook Classic.
