Photo submitted The Harlan County Lady Bears won junior varsity title at the state AAU tournament last weekend. The Lady Bears defeated Lincoln County 35-24 in the championship.

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An Enterprise Staff Report

The Harlan County Lady Bears junior varsity squad captured the state championship at the AAU state tournament at the Kentucky Basketball Academy in Lexington over the weekend.

“I’ve been very proud of these girls this summer, but especially with their play this weekend,” said junior varsity coach Teddy Stephens. “Winning the AAU JV state championship is a great accomplishment. Every player contributed and this was a complete team effort. The future of this program looks good.”

The Lady Bears defeated Lincoln County 35-24 in the championship game to claim the title. Harlan County knocked off Montgomery County 46-32 in the semifinals and Hazard 37-27 in the quarterfinals in elimination rounds. The Lady Bears downed Whitley County, Lincoln County and Anderson County in pool play.

“We expect these girls to be able to contribute as early as possible. I think they showed a lot of maturity. We have got a long way to go with those kids, but I liked the toughness and resolve that they showed,” said Harlan County coach Anthony Nolan. “Coach Stephens understands what we are trying to accomplish both offensively and defensively. He is trying to instill that type of discipline with the younger girls.”

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Harlan County (35) - Madison Hendrix 15, Brooklyn Massingill 13, Melissa Stewart 2, Lindsay Branson 3, Kaitlyn Evans 2.

Lincoln County (24) - Tiandra Hocker 10, Spencer Sims 7, Caitlin Hall 2, Kelsi Honaker 2, Harness 2, Lester 1.