Two weeks away from competitive basketball probably contributed to the Harlan County Lady Bears’ flat first half Saturday against visiting Harlan. The Lady Dragons trailed by only three at the break before Harlan County took over in the third quarter on the way to a 56-40 victory.

Harlan County outscored the Lady Dragons 16-3 in the decisive third period, outrebounding Harlan 9-3 while forcing nine turnovers.

“I think our depth showed in the second half,” Harlan County coach Anthony Nolan. “We were rushing the pass in the first half and never did get into a rhythm, but we played hard and I thought eventually it would pay off.”

Heather Maggard was limited to only one shot in the first quarter as the Harlan 1-3-1 zone surrounded her, but Harlan County’s standout senior center began to get her points off the backboard in the second quarter and finished with a 25-point, 11-rebound effort. Junior guard Whitney Gilliam added 11 points as Harlan County evened its record at 4-4 and improved to 2-1 in district action.

“We felt the 1-3-1, we were trapping in the corners, and it kind of surprised them and caught them off guard. We were overplaying passing lanes,” Harlan coach Chuck Mitchell said. “It worked the first half, but we used a lot of energy. We had a lot of turnovers the third quarter.

“I think until we learn to take care of the basketball and handle pressure, we’ll have results like this — put two or three quarters together and not be able to finish a game. It is a building block and our players are very disappointed, but they are talking about getting better before we play them again at our place.”

Nolan said his team made some “silly decisions” against the Harlan zone in the first half as the Lady Dragons turned the ball over 16 times in the first half.

“That’s something I can show them on film,” he said. “We weren’t attacking or penetrating where the openings were. When we did that the second half it opened it up a little more.”

The lead changed hands several times in the first half with the Lady Bears up 12-11 after one quarter and 25-22 after two.

Maggard had four baskets in the second period, twice the number of the entire Harlan squad, which took only four shots from the field but stayed close by connecting on seven of nine free throws.

Harlan County wasted little time in the third quarter taking control as Maggard had two baskets and Kendra Russell hit two 3-pointers as the Lady Bears started scoring in transition with Harlan struggling against pressure.

“I told them defense would be the difference in the game,” said Nolan, who praised the efforts of the Harlan County guards in keeping pressure on the ball.

Senior guard Sarah Scruggs led Harlan with 14 points as Harlan County limited the Lady Dragons’ post tandem of Anne Corey Johnson and Ashley Mullins to 12 points.

“I think the best post defense is your guard pressure,” he said. “If you can’t see to make the pass they can’t just stand and look and pick you apart. I thought our guards did a much better job of guarding the ball.”

Harlan County played without senior forward Samantha Sexton, who missed the game due to “disciplinary reasons,” according to Nolan.

Harlan County will likely have revenge on its mind Tuesday at home against Bell County in a crucial district tilt. The Lady Cats shocked Harlan County last month, winning 73-48 at Log Mountain. Harlan (7-7 overall, 0-3 district) returns to action Saturday at home against Oneida Baptist in the first round of the 13th Region All “A” Classic.

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Freshman guard Shauntae Lewis scored 14 points as Harlan County (8-2) won 27-22 in the junior varsity game.

Keisha Mimes added eight for the Lady Bears. Cara Middleton scored three and Torri Constant contributed two.

Jourdan Ledford led Harlan (2-4) with six points. Kelly Cox added five. Emily Nantz contributed four. Kaitlyn Stittums scored three. Gabrielle Rehnborg and Lauren Hogue each added two.

HARLAN (7-7)

Madison Ball 0-1 0-0 0, Sarah Scruggs 5-12 4-5 14, Cheyenne Hamblin 2-4 1-3 6, Ashley Mullins 2-5 0-3 4, Anne Corey Johnson 2-5 4-4 8, Gabrielle Rehnborg 1-2 0-0 2, Jourdan Ledford 1-1 0-0 3, Kaitlyn Stittums 0-0 0-2 0, Samantha Henson 0-0 0-0 0, Emily Nantz 1-1 0-0 2, Chelsea Burchfield 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 14-31 10-19 40.

HARLAN COUNTY (4-4)

Lyndsey Smith 0-4 0-0 0, Johnnie Parker 2-13 1-1 5, Kendra Russell 3-10 0-1 8, Kalee Carroll 0-2 2-2 2, Heather Maggard 9-13 7-8 25, Whitney Gilliam 4-9 3-4 13, Christina York 0-1 1-2 1, Torri Constant 1-2 0-0 2, Keisha Mimes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-54 14-18 56.

Harlan 11 11 3 15 —40

Harlan County 12 13 16 15 —56

3-point goals: Harlan 2-4 (Ledford 1-1, Hamblin 1-3, Ball 0-1), Harlan County 4-17 (Gilliam 2-3, Russell 2-7, Smith 0-1, Parker 0-6). Rebounds: Harlan 17 (Johnson 8), Harlan County 27 (Maggard 11). Turnovers: Harlan 34, Harlan County 27. Fouled out: Harlan (Hamblin), Harlan County (Russell).