"You always want to win for your seniors and let them play a lot," Harlan coach Chuck Mitchell said. "Courtney and Amanda Blakley have been a centerpiece for our program for seven years now. It has been great to see them develop as players, and it's awesome to be able to get the win for them."
Bell scored a career-high 33 points, including 15-22 from the line, to lead Harlan in handing the Lady Panthers their seventh straight loss. Bell has scored at least 20 points in each of the Lady Dragons' last six games.
"She has really come on the last six weeks. She has been tremendous under the basket," said Mitchell. "We are very excited about the way she is playing. I really think she can play at the next level."
Knox Central narrowed the deficit to 12-11 midway through the first quarter before the Lady Dragons rallied for 19 unanswered points to put the game away. Bell and sophomore guard Cheyenne Hamblin tossed in seven points each to spark the Harlan run.
The Lady Dragons dominated the boards in the first half, outrebounding Knox Central 27-9 on their way to a commanding 39-21 halftime lead.
"It is hard to match up with Harlan's size," said Knox Central coach Darren Mills. "They are big and physical. They really get into position and rebound well."
Harlan outscored the Lady Panthers 16-10 in the third quarter to stretch its lead to 55-31.
Bell, junior forward Chassidy Lawson and junior guard Belinda Patton combined to score all 20 of the Lady Dragons' fourth-quarter points.
Knox Central (7-20) was led by junior forward Brittany Jordan with 24 points.
The Lady Panthers were without senior guard Ashley Sizemore, who reportedly left the team recently.
The Lady Dragons return to action today at Lawrence County at 5:30 p.m. Knox Central will close the regular season Friday at home against Evarts.
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KNOX CENTRAL (7-20)
Charli Sowders 1-3 0-0 2, Rachel Scalf 1-6 0-1 3, Kayla Wilburn 3-10 2-5 9, Brittany Jordan 11-28 1-4 24, Sierra Gibson 2-5 1-2 5, Jenny Gray 0-2 3-4 3, Shakira Gregory 1-1 0-2 2, Becky Vaughn 1-1 0-0 2, Whitney Golden 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-56 7-18 50.
HARLAN (16-10)
Chassidy Lawson 6-11 1-2 14, Sarah Scruggs 0-2 0-0 0, Amanda Blakley 0-1 0-0 0, Anne Corey Johnson 3-5 3-3 9, Courtney Bell 9-19 15-22 33, Cheyenne Hamblin 2-4 2-2 7, Belinda Patton 3-3 0-0 6, Alex Allison 1-4 0-0 3, Ashley Mullins 1-2 1-3 3, Ester McMillen 0-0 0-0 0, Chelsea Wilson 0-2 0-0 0, Mimi Boggs 0-0 0-0 0, Katlyn Estep 0-1 0-0 0, Madison Ball 0-0 0-0 0, Chelsea Burchfield 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-54 22-32 75.
Knox Central 11 10 10 19 - 50
Harlan 18 21 16 20 - 75
3-point goals: Knox Central 3-13 (Scalf 1-5, Wilburn 1-5, Jordan 1-3), Harlan 3-7 (Lawson 1-2, Hamblin 1-2, Allison 1-3). Rebounds: Knox Central 26 (Gibson 7), Harlan 40 (Lawson 13). Turnovers: Knox Central 23, Harlan 22. Fouled out: Harlan (Johnson).
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