In his debut season, Middlesboro coach Scott Overbay did something that hasn’t been done in eight years. On Saturday, the first-year head coach led the Lady Jackets to a 61-45 victory over in-county rival Bell County.

While Middlesboro had some close encounters with the Lady Cats over the last couple of years, the Lady Jackets hadn’t been able to grab a victory over Bell County since the 2009-10 season. That year, Middlesboro defeated Bell two times during the regular season before eventually losing to the Lady Cats in the first round of the 52nd District tournament.

“I’m so proud of my girls for their effort and determination on Saturday. They fought the entire game from start to finish,” said Overbay. “The team was extremely happy to finally notch a win over Bell County. My girls are starting to play better together as the season continues.”

It was a team effort for the Lady Jackets that helped them earn the victory. Baylee Woody paced the team in points finishing the night with 13. Former Lady Cat Brittany Davis ended the game with 12 points while going 6-for-7 from the charity stripe. Lakyn King also finished in double figures, scoring 10 points.

For Bell County, it was freshman Ashtyn Meyers who led the way with 18 points while connecting on four 3-pointers. Abby Harris went 7-for-11 from the free-throw line on her way to a 15-point outing.

The game was truly a tale of two halves for Middlesboro. After trailing 28-22 heading into halftime, the Lady Jackets picked up the effort in the third quarter. King’s eight points in the third helped Middlesboro tie the game at 43-43 going into the final period.

The fourth quarter was all about defense for the Lady Jackets as they held Bell County to just two points — a pair of free throws from Harris. On offense, Middlesboro added 18 points in the quarter with Davis and Woody scoring six points apiece in the period to help the Lady Jackets earn the 16-point victory.

“I didn’t think that we played with enough energy. I thought we had stretches where we didn’t guard with energy. That hurt us with stopping the ball, and we didn’t close on shooters well,” said Bell County coach David Teague. “I thought Middlesboro beat us on the boards. In a district game, a rivalry game, you have to come with energy and purpose and (I) didn’t think we did that.”

Up Next

Middlesboro (9-13) will travel to Harlan County (15-4) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Bell County (9-12) traveled to Cumberland Gap, Tennessee on Monday.