There may not be a tougher game for Frankie Smith to start his Bell County tenure than Knox Central. The first-year Bobcat coach took on the Panthers on Tuesday in the Southeastern Kentucky Conference Panorama to mixed results.

Bell County kept the game close through the first two quarters and trailed by only six points heading into halftime. The Panthers caught fire in the second half en route to a 79-50 victory over the host Bobcats.

While the final score wasn’t pretty, Bell County showed flashes of their ability throughout the game.

“The first quarter we were taking care of the ball, we were playing good defense, (and) we were making sound decisions on offense,” said Smith. “In the second quarter, they stretched it out with some pressing, and we turned the ball over. Even with that, at halftime it was (a six-point deficit). Then we just turned the ball over way too much.

“We didn’t stat it tonight, but I’m sure we had 20-something turnovers. You’re not going to beat anybody doing that. So, the positives were we started out good. We were making good decisions. The negatives were we had too many turnovers and we didn’t box out very good at all.”

The Bobcats seemed to be more productive offensively when both Colby Frazier and Sawyer Brock were on the court at the same time. Brock finished with a team-high 11 points while Frazier tallied eight points.

“That’s definitely something we are looking at doing,” said Smith about playing Frazier and Brock at the same time. “Colby’s had four practices, so he’s getting used to the new sets and the new plays and the way we’re running things. With turnovers being a problem, you got two point guards on the court. They both have a good basketball IQ, and they’re both smart enough to run all of our set plays in our offense.”

Trey Brock and Tyler Partin both finished the game with nine points apiece. Ryan Lambdin added five points to the scoreboard.

Markelle Turner paced Knox Central with a game-high 22 points. Nick Martin finished with 16.

The first quarter remained tight throughout with neither team being able to pull away. With under five minutes to play in the opening period, Dane Imel scored on a fast break to give Knox an 8-7 lead.

A layup by Jaylen Adams increased the lead to 10-7 before a basket by Frazier cut the lead to 10-9. A pull-up jumper by Zachary Patterson gave the Panthers a 12-9 lead at the end of one.

Things continued to go back and forth between the two teams in the second quarter. A 3-pointer by Lambdin tied the game at 12-12 early in the second. Bell took a 17-16 lead with 4:41 remaining in the half off two free throws by Partin.

The lead was short lived as Knox went on an 10-0 run to give the Panthers a 26-17 lead with under four minutes remaining in the half. During that stint, Turner tallied six points.

A 3-pointer and pull-up jumper by Sawyer Brock near the end of the half helped the Bobcats narrow the deficit to 30-24 heading into halftime.

The second half belonged to Knox Central. The Panthers outscored Bell 25-15 in the third quarter and 24-11 in the fourth to secure the 29-point victory.

Up Next

Bell County opens the season at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 27 when they host Cumberland Gap, Tennessee.

Knox Central starts their year off in the Nissan Classic where they will meet Cordia at North Laurel.

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN