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<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The stage is set for one heck of a 13th Region Boys\u2019 Tournament championship game on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone expected Nate Valentine\u2019s North Laurel Jaguars to be in the position to have a chance to repeat as regional champions while Tony Pietrowski\u2019s Corbin Redhounds have flown under the radar for most of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Laurel and Corbin faced each other at Corbin on Feb. 17 with the Jaguars coming away with an impressive 68-47 win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McDonald\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hayden Llewellyn led the Redhounds (23-7) with 15 points in the loss while Trey Worley finished with 11 points, and six rebounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really excited to have the opportunity to play tomorrow,\u201d Valentine said. \u201cCorbin is playing really well right now on both ends of the floor. It should be a great environment and an exciting night of basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 13th Region Tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNorth has been one of the prohibitive favorites all season long, and deservedly so,\u201d Corbin coach Tony Pietrowski said. \u201cReed is the best all-around player in the state, and he has a stable full of talent around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have often thrived in the underdog role,\u201d he added. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Laurel\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kyler Elza (4.5, 2.1), Chase Keen (2.9, 2.2), and Reece Davidson (2.8, 1.3) have also contributed this season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Corbin could very well possess the most depth of any team in the 13th Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Corbin enters Monday\u2019s game with an 88-45 all-time record in the 13th Region Tournament. Monday\u2019s appearance in the finals will mark the Redhounds\u2019 29th overall in the championship game. They\u2019ve won 15 region titles while garnering 13 runner-up finishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n