Redhounds survive late-game rally to secure 50th District title

It was the very definition of a “nail biter” game, but in the end, the Corbin Redhounds managed to hang on Friday night at Whitley County High School to defeat the South Laurel Cardinals in the finals of this year’s 50^th District Tournament, 61-59.

“This has been a big goal of ours all year,” said senior Redhound Trey Worley. “We’ve been saying all year that the district championship is what we need to get first. We want a region championship, we want a chance to play for a state title, but district has to come first.”

It did not look like it was going to be Corbin’s night early in the contest, with the Cards enjoying an 18-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Hounds continued to battle, but they still trailed at halftime, 27-21.

“We made some adjustments, like we usually do at halftime, and we came out and did exactly what we went through in practice,” Corbin senior Carter Stewart would later explain. “The past few days of practice have been the best that we’ve had all year, and we just came out and did what we planned to do.”

Stewart provided the assist to teammate Ryder Akins for a basket at the 3:45 mark in the third quarter that tied the game up, 33-33. The Redhounds would take the lead shortly thereafter, and they held on to a 39-35 advantage heading into the fourth-and-final quarter of play.

Corbin’s fierce defensive effort throughout the second half was a game changer, as senior Zander Curry would explain after the final horn had sounded. “We never put our heads down,” he said. “When we started pressing and trapping them, I think we caught them off guard. Coach P has been here for a long time, though, and he knows what he’s doing.”

With time ticking away, South began playing with heightened urgency in the closing minutes. They sank some clutch baskets to keep hope alive, and the Hounds put themselves in peril by missing some crucial free throws down the stretch. In the end, however, a last-second three-point try by junior Cardinal Jordan Mabe was no good.

When the Corbin faithful in attendance knew that their team had just won their first district title in six years, the reaction was pure jubilation.

“The atmosphere was unbelievable,” said Worley. “There isn’t a better gym in the state to get a good environment in than here at Whitley County. I couldn’t hear the ball dribbling as we were going down the court. When you can get that energy and that excitement, it just makes the game ten times better.”

“This means everything,” Stewart said when asked to describe his feelings after the win. “This is my fifth year, and I finally got one.”

Curry spoke about the storied rivalry between the Hounds and the Cards, saying, “The history of this rivalry goes way back. Back to when it was just Laurel County [High School]. We went 2-0 against them in the regular season. We haven’t done that in a long time, but then we were able to come out tonight and make it 3-0. It’s hard to beat a good team three times. We knew we were going to have to play hard.”

This district title win gives Corbin some major momentum heading into next week’s 13^th Region Tournament. When the Hounds walk into the Corbin Arena, they will bring with them a 21-8 overall record. South Laurel, meanwhile, will enter regional tournament play with a season record of 19-10.

As for who each team will face in the first round of the 2024 13^th Region Tournament, we will find that out when the brackets are set tomorrow (Saturday). Those details will be shared as soon as they are known.

Corbin – 9  12  18  22  –  61

S. Laurel – 18 9 8  24  –  59

CHS – Zander Curry 18, Trey Worley 20, Carter Stewart 12, Ryder Akins 6, Eli Pietrowski 5

SL – Jordan Steele 1, Josh Steele 2, Colton Rawlings 11, Jordan Mabe 26, Garrison Brown 3, Hunter Bundy 3, Landon Howard 9, Max Fullmer 4

2024 50^th District All-Tournament Team: (From Williamsburg) Henry Bowling and Andrew Smith; (From Whitley Co.) Evan Ellis and Bryson Mahan; (From South Laurel) Max Fullmer, Jordan Mabe and Colton Rawlings; (From Corbin) Zander Curry, Trey Worley, Eli Pietrowski and Carter Stewart