Not too many teams can go toe-to-toe with Corbin and exit the building with a victory. Only three teams this season have tasted the amount of success: Lexington Catholic, Upson-Lee out of Georgia and Knox Central — who is arguably favored to win the 13th Region this year.

Middlesboro tasted the same defeat 11 teams had before them as the Yellow Jackets lost 78-49 at home against the Redhounds. It was the fifth straight loss Middlesboro has suffered since picking up a victory over Sunbright, Tennessee on Dec. 23.

The string of losses for the Jackets include defeats against Leslie County, Hazard, McCreary Central and Bell County.

For Corbin, it’s their fourth consecutive win since dropping a 73-61 decision to Knox Central in the Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament on Dec. 30.

Jabari Kyle led Middlesboro against Corbin. The young point guard tallied 15 points while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from three-point range. He also knocked down three of his four free-throw attempts and tied for a team-high four rebounds.

Mykel Griffin added 10 points to the final tally while going 4-for-7 from the field. Christian Hubbard chipped in eight points with six coming from the free-throw line.

Andrew Taylor put together an impressive all-around performance for the Redhounds. The Furman commit tallied a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds. Chandler Stewart scored 18 points. Chase Sanders shot a team-best 55.6 percent from the field on his way to 15 points.

Up Next

Middlesboro (7-8) will battle Oneida Baptist Institute (5-5) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the opening round of the 13th Region All A Classic.

Corbin (12-3) will play Whitley County (5-11) on Friday.

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Corbin (78): Andrew Taylor 26, Chandler Stewart 18, Chase Sanders 15, Matthew Taylor 7, Taylor Johnson 4, Abe Barnes 2, Alex Byrley 1, Braden Dickerson 3, Cameron Maguet 2.

Middlesboro (49): Jabari Kyle 15, Mykel Griffin 10, Christian Hubbard 8, TJ Patterson 2, Drake Thomas 7, Ethan Barton 2, Eric Helton 1, Andrew Padgett 2, Blake Stoner 2.

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