The Lynn Camp Wildcats were coming off their first win over Clay County since 1940 with hopes of defeating the Corbin Redhounds for the first time since 1986, but their upset bid fell just short (73-71) in overtime.
The Wildcats got their home crowd fired up early as they came up with big defensive stops and knocked down the open shot to grab a 19-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Gavin Allen set the pace early for Lynn Camp and finished with 25 points, but the second-half play from Corbin's Hayden Llewellyn gave the Redhounds the boost they needed. In the second quarter, Llewellyn knocked down three of his seven three-pointers and led all scorers with 32 points, including a lob dunk and a four-point play.
The Redhounds could pull ahead by double digits in the second quarter, but Lynn Camp fought back and kept the game close. The Wildcats were trying to prove that they deserve to play Corbin every year, and that's what they did.
“At this time of year if guys are quitting, you probably missed on them,” Lynn Camp coach Rodney Clarke said. “I’m proud of our effort. We have no reason to hang our heads. There is no such thing as a moral victory, but my message is that the game needed to be played. We need to play Corbin, Corbin needs to play us. We need to play each other every year. We need a home and home.”
Lynn Camp led 32-31 at the end of the first half, but Corbin managed to outscore the Wildcats 24-15 in the third quarter to take a 55-47 lead with one quarter remaining to play. In the third quarter, Micah Engle poured in eight points, and Maison Prater scored five points. Engle finished with 20 points. Duane Sparks added 12 points, and Prater finished with six points.
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats outscored Corbin 21-13 to force overtime. Zander Curry finished with 12 points, while Kade Elam added 10 points.
Tim Branstetter, Sports Writer for The Kentucky Daily