The 52nd District Tournament is set to tip off on Monday for the girls and Tuesday for the boys at Bell County High School.

The first game of the girls’ tournament will feature the Lady Black Bears from Harlan County taking on the Lady Green Dragons from Harlan at 6 p.m., followed by the Lady Jackets from Middlesboro taking on the Lady Bobcats from Bell County at 7:30 p.m. The winner of each game will advance to the championship game, to be played on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The first game of the boys’ tournament will feature the Harlan County Black Bears facing off against the Middlesboro Yellow Jackets at 6 p.m., followed by the Harlan Green Dragons taking on the host Bell County Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. The winner of each game will advance to the championship game, to be played on Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The Harlan County boys come in at 19-6 on the season and 6-0 in district play. Led by Alex Pace with 17.0 points per game and Taylor Spurlock with 11.2 ppg, the Black Bears look to continue their undefeated district play. Harlan County played a total of three overtime games this season, all against district competition — two against Middlesboro, and one against Bell County. The Black Bears will take on Middlesboro in the first round, who they have beaten in their previous two meetings this season by a combined four points.

The Harlan County Lady Black Bears come in at 18-6 on the season and 6-0 in district play. Led by Katelyn Johnson with 13.0 ppg, Reanna Middleton with 12.0 ppg and Phebe McHargue with 11.9 ppg, the Lady Black Bears look to continue their impressive run in the district. Winning all six of their district games this season by an average of 27.5 ppg, the Lady Black Bears come in as the favorite to win the district championship.

Coming in at 19-10 on the season and 3-4 in district play, the Harlan boys finished second in the district. The Green Dragons fell to Harlan County twice in the regular season, as well as Middlesboro and Bell County once apiece. Led by Jordan Akal with 16.7 ppg and Kilian Ledford with 16.3 ppg, the Green Dragons look to notch a district victory early in the tournament after losing three of their last four district games in the regular season. The Green Dragons will take on the hosting Bell County Bobcats in round one of the tournament.

Coming in at 8-20 in the regular season and 0-6 in district play, the struggling Lady Green Dragons hope to get a quick jump in the tournament against Harlan County. Led by Payeton Charles with 16.0 ppg and Natalee King with 14.9 ppg the Lady Green Dragons look to notch their first district victory of the year.

The Middlesboro Yellow Jackets come in at 15-12 in the regular season and 2-5 in district play. After winning their last two district games, Middlesboro hopes to carry that into the first round of the tournament as they take on Harlan County. Led by Jabari Kyle with 14.8 ppg and Mykel Griffin with 11.2 ppg, the Jackets hope to maintain their impressive defense throughout the tournament.

The Middlesboro Lady Jackets come in at 12-17 on the season and 4-2 in district play. Led by Baylee Woody with 12.7 ppg and Kailey Owens with 10.9 ppg, and winning three of their last four district games, the Lady Jackets look to continue their good play in district match-ups. The Lady Jackets will take on Bell County in the first round; Middlesboro won the two previous match-ups in the regular season.

The Bell County Bobcats come in at 17-11 on the season and 2-4 in district play. Led by Tyler Partin with 13.4 ppg and London Stephney with 13.2 ppg, the Bobcats split last four district match-ups. The Bobcats look to get back on track in the first round of the tournament against the Harlan Green Dragons. Middlesboro split the regular season series with the Green Dragons 1-1.

The Bell County Lady Bobcats come in at 12-15 on the season and 2-4 in district play. Led by Abby Harris with 17.8 ppg and Ashtyn Meyers with 11.0 ppg, the Lady Bobcats look to get back into the winning column after dropping three of their last four district match-ups in the regular season. The Lady Bobcats will play Middlesboro in the first round. Middlesboro won the two regular-season match-ups by a combined 18 points.