Corbin boys advance to tournament finals; Williamsburg falls to Clay County

Corbin’s Kevin Goins makes a nifty move to score against Bell County in the Region 13 semifinals Saturday night. He had a game high 26 points and the Redhounds won 56-48.

Corbin never could deliver the knockout punch in the nightcap of the boys Region 13 Tournament boys basketball semifinals Saturday night, but they did enough to outlast Bell County 56-48 in a wild, frenetic and highly entertaining rematch between the two teams.

In late January, Bell County hung a 56-45 loss on the Redhounds on Corbin’s home floor.

But this time around, the Redhounds used withering defensive pressure, and a 26-point effort by senior guard Kevin Goins to will their way into a Monday night matchup with Clay County in the championship game.

Up six at halftime, Corbin weathered a comeback bid by the Bobcats in the third quarter.

Bell County guard Jake Patterson nailed a three to start the second half, and pull the Bobcats within three. But they were undone by eight third quarter turnovers and timely Corbin scoring.

Tyler Potter kept the Bobcats within striking distance by hitting three straight threes in the fourth quarter. Down 49-44, the hectic, full-contact defense that was a hallmark of the game began to work against Bell County as Corbin was in the double bonus early and did enough from the free throw line to pull away.

Goins stepped up big for the Redhounds, hitting 10 of 19 shots. Zach Maguet put in a steady effort for Corbin as well, scoring 14, half of those on a 7 for 9 shooting effort from the free throw line.

Williamsburg’s Andrew Griffith scored 14 points against Clay County, but it wasn’t enough as they Yellow Jackets were defeated 79-58.

Clay County 79, Williamsbuurg 58

In the early game, Williamsburg, fresh off a mildly surprising victory in the tournament’s opening round against Knox Central, simply could not keep pace with the Tiger’s torrid shooting and fell 79-58.

Clay County has found the Corbin Arena rims to their liking, scoring at a noticeably higher pace than their tournament peers. In similar fashions, the Tigers blitzed Middlesboro 83-32 in the opening round.

The Yellow Jackets had a respectable first quarter effort, including a 4 for 5 effort from beyond the three point arc.

But the Tigers were better.

Clay County took a 23-17 lead after the first eight minutes, and missed only three of their 13 shots during the stretch. For the half, they were a blistering 68 percent from the field as opposed to a paltry 32 for the Yellow Jackets.

Four Williamsburg players finished the game in double figures: Andrew Griffith and Skyler Griffith each had 14, Dalton Sizemore finished with 13 and Corey Shelton added 12.

But all five Clay County starters were in double figures. Forward Wes Wolfe poured in a game-high 20 points on 9 of 15 shooting.

The Tigers did most their damage in the second quarter, outscoring Williamsburg 22-8.

For the game, they were nearly 60 percent from the field.

Clay County will face Corbin in the tournament finals Monday night.