MIDDLESBORO — In a low-scoring game filled with long stretches between shots, the Harlan County Black Bears made their only possession of overtime count Tuesday against Middlesboro.

The Bears went to their spread offense after winning the tip and ran all but 24.9 seconds off the clock before James Smith drew a foul. The sophomore point guard hit both shots, then Middlesboro center Mykel Griffin missed under the basket just before time expired as the Bears claimed a 45-43 win for their 13th straight victory over Middlesboro and 31st straight against district competition.

“We were planning on holding it, but we would have taken a layup if we got it,” Harlan County coach Michael Jones said. “We’re still doing some things wrong, but these kids have grown up so much in the last couple of weeks.”

“We just made too many mistakes, and they are just tougher than we are,” said Middlesboro coach Lewis Morris. “We had every opportunity, but we turned the ball over and missed some easy shots.”

Smith scored 12 to lead the 6-2 Bears, who improved to 3-0 against district competition. Taylor Spurlock and Alex Pace added 11 and 10 points, respectively, and both hit key shots late in the game after Middlesboro opened the fourth quarter with an 11-1 run to go up by four with three minutes.

Spurlock hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one. Two free throws by Smith tied the game at 40 with 1:10 left. Jabari Kyle gave the Jackets a one-point lead before Pace hit three free throws with 14.9 seconds left after being fouled on a shot from the corner. Kyle drew a foul with 3.4 seconds hit and hit one of two to send the game into overtime.

Kyle scored 14 and Christian Hubbard added 10 for the Jackets, who fell to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in the district.

There were three ties in the opening quarter, including 9-9 when Harlan County’s Josh Turner closed the period with a 3-pointer from the corner.

Harlan County hit four 3-pointers in the second period, two by Spurlock and one each from Pace and Smith, to build a 22-17 halftime lead. The Jackets took only five shots in the quarter, hitting two.

The Bears’ lead grew to nine late in the third quarter as Spurlock and Smith each had baskets and Pace connected on a 3-pointer. A 3 by Kyle cut the deficit to 34-28 going into the final period.

Griffin, Middlesboro’s 300-pound senior center, scored twice on putbacks in the fourth quarter as the Jackets built a 39-35 lead by outrebounding HCHS 6-0 in the first five minutes of the period.

Harlan County is at home against Lee, Va., on Tuesday. Middlesboro travels to Leslie County on Wednesday.

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Harlan County 45, Middlesboro 43 (OT)

HARLAN COUNTY (6-2)

James Smith 3-12 4-4 12, Taylor Spurlock 4-9 0-2 11, Alex Pace 2-7 4-5 10, Tyler Cole 0-1 0-0 0, Gabe Price 2-6 2-3 6, Patrick Bynum 1-2 0-0 2, Josh Turner 1-1 0-0 3, Elisha Smallwood 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 13-38 11-16 45.

MIDDLESBORO (4-3)

Jabari Kyle 5-9 3-6 14, Christian Hubbard 3-7 3-4 10, Trey Brock 2-6 2-2 6, Scott Overbay 1-4 0-0 3, Mykel Griffin 3-6 2-3 8, T.J. Patterson 0-0 0-0 0, Josh Overbay 1-4 0-0 2, Jordan Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Andrew Padgett 0-0 0-0 0, Steven Poore 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-36 10-15 43.

Harlan County 9 13 12 9 2 — 45

Middlesboro 9 8 11 15 0 — 43

3-point goals: Harlan County 8-24 (Spurlock 3-6, Pace 2-5, Smith 2-9, Turner 1-1, Cole 0-1, Price 0-2), Middlesboro 3-11 (Hubbard 1-1, Kyle 1-2, S. Overbay 1-4, T. Brock 0-1, J. Overbay 0-3). Rebounds: Harlan County 21 (Price 6, Bynum 5, Pace 4, Smith 2, Spurlock 2, Cole 1, Turner 1), Middlesboro 17 (Brock 5, Hubbard 3, Griffin 3, Kyle 2, J. Overbay 2, Padgett 2). Turnovers: Harlan County 12, Middlesboro 12. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: Harlan County (Spurlock).