By John Henson
Sports Writer
While reeling off 16 straight wins to open the 2023-2024 season, the Bell County Bobcats were clearly ahead of schedule in becoming a 13th Region contender despite having the region’s youngest roster. Bell County finished 25-8 with no seniors and only one junior in its lineup and closed the season with the second highest RPI rating in the region behind only eventual state runner-up Harlan County.
Bell County brings all its key players back this season and expects to make a deeper run in the postseason.
“Our schedule is a little tougher, so it’s going to be hard to duplicate what we did last year by winning that many games in a row,” said Bell County coach Brad Sizemore. “If anything, I think last year gave us some confidence to do what they did with no seniors. I think our guys will play with confidence because this is the third year of playing with basically the same team. They know what to expect. We’ll be a work in progress early because we have some key guys still out there playing football. Each week, we’ll get challenged leading into January.”
Three-sport star Blake Burnett (16.6 points per game last year, 5.8 rebounds per game) is back for his junior season and will again run the Bell offense.
“He does a lot of things that give us a chance to have a good team. He has another year of experience, and you can tell he’s gotten bigger and stronger in the offseason,” Sizemore said. “Once he gets out there and gets his legs back under him, we expect him to have a big year. He has a positive impact on our team because of the ways he impact the game on both sides of the ball. I think he will really lead our team this year.”
Jaxon Thomas (8.8) returns for his sophomore season at wing where he will be counted on to continue providing a 3-point threat.
“People forget he was just a freshman last year, and I can see a big difference going into this sophomore year,” Sizemore said. “He’s put on some muscle and looks to be quicker. He’s a really good shooter, and he continued to work on that. He’s improved his defense, so I think he’s someone we can put on the other team’s best player.”
Cameron Hall (16.8, 3.1), the only senior on the roster, will return at the other wing where he provided a complement to Burnett as a second double digit scorer.
“He’s stayed in the weight room all season and has gotten stronger. He does a lot of things for us,” Sizemore said. “He can run the point, and he’s a good scorer, He can get to the rim, is a good outside shooter and is one of our best defenders. We think he’ll have an outstanding year and end his career on a high note.”
Cayden Huff (5.5, 5.1), a 6-2 junior, is a three-year starter at forward.
“He’s another still out there with the football team, but he’s worked hard in the offseason. He’s one of our best rebounders and defenders on the inside,” Sizemore said. “He’s also worked on his outside. He’s good athlete, and we expect he’ll have a great year.”
Ethan Buell (14.5, 5.9), a 6-5 sophomore, was perhaps the most improved player on the roster last season, and Sizemore expects that improvement to escalate.
“I think you’ll see the biggest difference in Ethan. He’s made a huge jump as a sophomore. He’s taller and is more athletic,” Sizemore said. “He didn’t take much time off. I think he’s going to have a huge year and do a lot of different things for us. We’ve challenged him all fall about getting better defensively, and I think he’s going to meet that challenge and make our team a lot better.”
Eighth-grader Braxton Ferguson (2.2), at 6-1, continues to progress after playing a key reserve role for last year’s squad and is expected to again serve as the sixth man.
“He’s gotten a lot stronger this offseason, and I can tell a big difference in having a year of high school basketball under his belt,” Sizemore said, “He will get a lot of minutes and can play a lot of different positions. We think he’ll make a huge impact on our team.”
Freshman guard Kaleb Cornett and 6-6 freshman center Kenton Brock are also expected to see extensive action.
“Kaleb is a combo guard who is a good shooter and can drive the ball. He started JV all year last season as an eighth grader. He has a chance to be really good,” Sizemore said. “Kenton has gotten in better shape and stronger. We think he can help us on the inside in certain games.”
Sizemore feels good about the Bobcats’ potential, building on the success from a season ago.
“I’m excited about them. I think we can be better than last year,” Sizemore saiid. “We have to take it a day at a time. We won 25 games last year, but all that means is that all these teams, especially the ones we beat last year, will come out ready to go. We’ll have a little bit of a target on our backs. I think we’ll respond. We’re trying take the next step, so we have to stay focused and hungry every practice and every game.”
The 52nd District could be a two-team race this year with defending regional champ Harlan County and Bell County ranked among the top four teams.
“My experience is there is no easy games in district play. People know each, and you have to expect a tough game,” Sizemore said. “But when you do what Harlan County did last year and have so many returning players, you expect them to be the favorite in the district and region, too. We’ve told our kids they will come in here wanting to prove a point that they are still that good without Trent Noah. We expect their best game, but I also think our kids want to prove a point and see where we’re at. We’re excited to play those guys and everyone else on our schedule.”

Tue, Dec 3, 24	Lee County	at Oneida Baptist Institute					8:00 PM	Larry Gritton Sr. Classic	⇄
Thu, Dec 5, 24	Red Bird	home					6:00 PM		⇄
Fri, Dec 6, 24	Tri-Cities Christian Academy (Blountville), TN	home					7:30 PM
Sat, Dec 7, 24	Walton-Verona	at South Laurel					5:15 PM	Ted Cook Classic	⇄
Fri, Dec 13, 24	Middlesboro	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Sat, Dec 14, 24	George Rogers Clark	home					6:00 PM	Pride Of The Mountains Showcase	⇄
Tue, Dec 17, 24	Harlan	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Fri, Dec 20, 24	Belfry	home					8:00 PM	Redmond Auto Group Holiday Classic	⇄
Sat, Dec 28, 24	Somerset	at Corbin Gymnasium					8:00 PM	Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament	⇄
Sun, Dec 29, 24	Model	at Corbin Gymnasium					4:00 PM	Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament	⇄
Fri, Jan 3, 25	Antioch, TN	at Antioch					6:30 PM
Tue, Jan 14, 25	Madison Southern	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Tue, Jan 21, 25	Harlan	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Sat, Jan 25, 25	Waggener	at Jeffersontown					2:00 PM	Raising Cane’s J’town Jam	⇄
Tue, Jan 28, 25	Harlan County	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Fri, Jan 31, 25	Middlesboro	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Sat, Feb 1, 25	Knoxville Ambassadors (Knoxville), TN	home					5:30 PM
Tue, Feb 4, 25	Harlan County	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Fri, Feb 7, 25	Knox Central	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Tue, Feb 11, 25	Jackson County	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Thu, Feb 13, 25	Corbin	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Fri, Feb 14, 25	Perry County Central	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Fri, Feb 21, 25	Whitley County	away					7:30 PM		⇄