MIDDLESBORO — Middlesboro coach Bill Jones admitted he was curious to see how his Yellow Jackets would respond in their first game since a heartbreaking last-second loss to Pineville in the championship game of the 13th Region All “A” Classic last week.

“We challenged them to be focused,” he said after the Jackets held off a determined Harlan team 65-51 in the nightcap of a district girls/boys doubleheader Monday. “It was a heartbreaking defeat, but you’ve got to put that behind you. You’ve got to wish Pineville luck up there (in the state All ‘A’ Classic), and we’ve got to go ahead and play our games. We’re real pleased with the effort, especially coming off that loss.”

The win was the Jackets’ second over the Green Dragons in four days — Middlesboro defeated Harlan 74-56 in the All “A” Classic semifinals Thursday.

“It’s hard to play a team Thursday and then come back and play them again Monday, because they know everything you’re going to do,” Jones said.

The Dragons put together rallies in the second and fourth quarters but were outscored 39-13 in the first and third periods combined.

“The thing is, when we played well, they scored a little more than we did in those two quarters when we didn’t play well. We scored 13 points in two quarters. Against a team like Middlesboro, you’ve got to score more than that, because they’re going to score some points.”

Middlesboro (16-3 overall, 5-0 district) appeared to be on the way to a blowout win early. The Yellow Jackets limited Harlan to two field goals as they rolled out to a 22-4 lead, led by Chad Cowan’s 10 points.

The second quarter was Harlan’s turn to dominate. The Dragons opened the period with an 11-1 run to pull within eight. Junior guard Chad Creech drained a 3-pointer and scored off a turnover in the outburst, and senior Allen Hensley knocked down four free throws.

The teams traded points over the final four minutes of the half, and the Jackets held a 31-23 lead at the break.

Middlesboro doubled its margin in the third quarter as Harlan again struggled to score. After Jecorey Fields scored on a putback at the 6:20 mark, the Dragons were held scoreless for more than three minutes while the Jackets reeled off 11 unanswered points, with Cowan and senior Nick Smith each scoring four.

A basket inside by Tyler Grubbs ended Harlan’s drought and ignited a 5-0 run, but Middlesboro closed the quarter with four points by Blaine Green and led 48-32 going into the final period.

Creech led a furious rally that saw Harlan pull within six in the fourth quarter. The junior guard hit a 3-pointer at the 5:30 mark to cut Harlan’s deficit to 14. Later, he knocked down two treys and scored another basket in a 73-second span to fuel a 10-0 run that sliced Middlesboro’s lead to 57-51 with 3:21 to play.

“The Creech kid got real hot in the fourth quarter,” Jones said. “But he can shoot. I’ve scouted them five or six times, and Harlan’s getting better and tougher to play.”

Harlan (6-11, 0-5) could get no closer, though, as Green and Smith each scored four points in the final three minutes to seal the win for the Jackets.

Creech poured in a career-high 22 points, including a 4-for-9 showing from 3-point range, to lead the Dragons.

“Chad played hard,” Lester said. “He was taking the ball to the basket and got them in a little foul trouble early. He played a nice game tonight.”

All of the Jackets’ points came from their five starters, each of whom scored in double figures. Smith led the way with 17 points. Cowan added 14, and Antwan Brown and Green scored 12 apiece. Matt Powers contributed 10.

“I challenged the guys to share the ball, and I challenged Chad Cowan, especially, to be more aggressive, and he started doing that,” Jones said.

“They’re going to score, because they’re going to take a lot of shots,” Lester said. “The thing with us was to make sure we got out and contested some shots. For the most part, we did that. We didn’t do a bad job defending tonight, we just did a horrible job rebounding after they shot.”

With Middlesboro having clinched the top seed in the 52nd District Tournament and Harlan locked into the No. 4 spot, the two teams are certain to have a fourth meeting next month.

The Dragons return to action Friday at home against Bell County.