Dragons capture Buckhorn tourney title

Published 2:15 pm Sunday, December 30, 2018

After winning their opening two games in the Buckhorn Lake Christmas Classic by pounding opponents with 3-pointers, the Dragons had to turn to defense in the championship game on Saturday.

The 10-5 Dragons ran their win streak to six and captured their second straight tournament title by holding Buckhorn to six points in the second quarter, building a 10-point halftime lead on the way to a 61-51 victory over the Wildcats.

Freshman point guard Jordan Akal scored 16 points to lead a balanced Harlan attack. Cade Barnes, Jared Hawkins and Jon Eldridge added 12 points each.

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Kobe Bowling, a sophomore guard, led the 8-6 Wildcats with 17 points. Senior center Danny Abner added 10 points.

Harlan returns to action Jan. 7 at South Laurel.

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Harlan 61, Buckhorn 51

HARLAN (10-5)

Jordan Akal 5 4-6 16, Cade Barnes 5 2-2 12, Jared Hawkins 4 0-0 12, Kilian Ledford 3 1-2 8, Jon Eldridge 6 0-0 12, Jaeden Gist 0 0-0 0, Kaleb McLendon 0 1-2 1. Totals: 23 8-12 61.

BUCKHORN (8-6)

Jacob Blank 3 1-1 8, Jacob Napier 2 0-0 5, Logan Stidham 2 0-0 5, Kobe Bowling 6 5-7 17, Danny Abner 4 2-4 10, Dalton Baker 2 0-0 6, Dylan Knight 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 8-12 51.

Harlan 18 17 12 14 — 61

Buckhorn 19 6 14 12 — 51

3-point goals: Harlan 7 (Hawkins 4, Akal 2, Ledford 1), Buckhorn 5 (Baker 2, Blank 1, Napier 1, Stidham 1).