Obviously, North Laurel is the team to beat. The Jaguars possess one of the best players in the nation in senior Reed Sheppard. Sheppard had one heck of a summer, and is looking to lead the Jaguars to not only their third 13th Region crown but also the program\u2019s first state championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Ryan Davidson returning along with Brody Brock, and a solid cats if role players, North Laurel isn\u2019t ready to give up their 13th Region crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there is one team that can match the Jaguars, it could very well be Kyle Jones\u2019 Harlan County Black Bears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Black Bears possess one of the top juniors in the nation, and the state in Trent Noah. Remember, Harlan County didn\u2019t reach the region tournament last season, so the Black Bears are going to be focused and ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Noah gives them an awesome scoring option along with a shot blocker and one of the best rebounders in the region. Harlan County also possesses two solid players in Jonah Swanner, and Maddox Huff. Huff is ready to show just what he can do after having one heck of a summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other two contenders both hail from the 50th District. The South Laurel Cardinals are the defending 50th District champions but return a solid nucleus, and isn\u2019t far behind both North Laurel or Harlan County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cardinals won 23 games last season while continuing their dominance in the 50th District. They possess a 12-game win streak against their district rivals, the Corbin Redhounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those two will do battle once again with Parker Payne, and Eli Gover returning as two of South Laurel\u2019s top players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lot of folks believe Tony Pietrowski\u2019s Redhounds have the talent to unseat North Laurel as region champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With players such as Hayden Llewellyn, Brody Wells, Carter Stewart, Trey Worley, Zander Curry, Eli Pietrowski, and Kade Elam returning you can see why Corbin fans are ready for the season to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teams to keep an eye on<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Teams such as Whitley County, and Barbourville have a shot to make noise this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Colonels return a solid nucleus of players along with the Tigers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eric Swords will be guiding Whitley County after coaching at Williamsburg while Chris Taylor worked magic last season during his first year as the Tigers\u2019 coach. Look for him to do the same this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, you\u2019ve always got to keep an eye on Brad Sizemore\u2019s Bell County Bobcats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dawson Woolum returns as one of the best players in the region which will make Bell County a tough team to beat. Another 52nd District team, Harlan, lost a key player in Jordan Akal but don\u2019t expect the Green Dragons to drop off much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knox Central will drop off some after graduating a lot of talent but the Panthers return a lot of talent, too. Gavin Chadwell returns along with KT Turner while players such as Brayden Mills will contribute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Glenn Gray\u2019s Clay County Tigers will surprise this season as well. The Tigers continue to get better and better. They return a solid nucleus of players and will have a good shot at reaching the 13th Region Tournament this season. Don\u2019t be surprised if they triple their win total (6) from last season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another team that could easily be a top 10 squad by season\u2019s end is Brad Levy\u2019s Pineville Mountain Lions. Levy has put in a lot of work with his players this summer, and we believe it\u2019s going to pay off in the end. Sawyer Thompson is one of the top sophomores in the state. He averaged more than 21 points per game as a freshman. We can\u2019t wait to see what he does this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lynn Camp is a mystery team. We don\u2019t know exactly how good they\u2019ll be until the season tips off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Wildcats do possess one of the best scorers in the state in Micah Engle. If Engle can get some help, Lynn Camp could very well surprise this season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another team that could surprise is Jackson County. Coach Greg Parrett always does a fantastic job with the Generals. Jude Lakes returns along with Tydus Summers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Williamsburg, Middlesboro, Oneida Baptist will all have new coaches this season, so it\u2019s gonna be interesting to see how things pan out with those three schools while Red Bird will look to improve on last season\u2019s 2-24 mark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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