After a slow first half, the Harlan County Lady Bears found themselves up by only three at halftime Friday against visiting Corbin. The Lady Bears turned up their energy level in the second half as they shot 60 percent (15 of 25) from the field on the way to a 70-54 victory.

“We didn’t come out with the intensity we wanted, but they had a good gameplan and got after a couple of our girls,” Harlan County coach Debbie Green said. “I think we got them a little tired and started turning them over. Then we hit some shots.”

Senior guard K.K. Johnson sparked the second half surge and finished with 21 points. Junior forward Morgan Blakley was second in scoring for the second straight game as she finished with 16 points. Senior guards Reanna Middleton and Phebe McHargue added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“K.K. came in for Phebe at the point a little and gave us some energy since they were trying to wear Phebe down,” Green said. “K.K. and Reanna both gave us some energy, and Morgan Blakley also played well. I thought they all played well. We had a lot of kids step up and play well.”

Senior forward Jadyn Robertson led the 8-8 Lady Hounds with 13 points.

Up by four midway through the third quarter, the Lady Bears took control with an 11-0 run that featured baskets by Middleton, Blakley and McHargue. Harlan County hit nine of 14 shots in the period and led 51-38 going into the final period.

McHargue and Johnson scored all the points in a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that gave Harlan County its biggest lead at 23 points.

Corbin raced to an 8-2 lead with the help of four points by Robertson. Johnson and Middleton had two baskets each in an 11-2 run that put the Lady Bears up 15-12 after one quarter.

The Lady Hounds also opened strong in the second quarter behind Harleigh Grubb and Robertson to go up by two midway through the period. McHargue, Jacey Lewis and Blakley each had baskets in a 6-0 to put HCHS up by four. A steal and layup by McHargue closed the half with Harlan County up 28-25.

Harlan County returns to action Monday at Leslie County. Corbin is at home against Paintsville on Saturday.

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Sophomore guard Lauren Faulkner scored 16 points, including the game-winning free throws with 4.3 seconds left, as Corbin rallied from a six-point deficit going into the final quarter to win 43-41. Kami Garland tossed in 10 points. Kaila Stidham added seven points, followed by Erica Angel with six and Emma Ashurst and Bailey Stewart with two each.

Sophomore guard Jacey Lewis led the Lady Bears with 16 points. Haley Middleton scored seven, followed by Jaylin Smith and Kelly Beth Hoskins with six each, Kassy Owens with four and Jaylin Preston with two.

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Corbin guards Kaila Stidham and Emma Ashurst dominated the freshman game as Stidham scored 17 and Ashurst added 15 in the Lady Hounds’ 51-34 victory. Bailey Stewart contributed nine, followed by Mahayla Jordan with seven and Halie Grubb with three.

Freshman guard Jaylin Smith led Harlan County with 13 points. Izzy Kirby added five. Jaylin Preston and Breanna Massey scored four each. Scarlett Rowe and McKenzie Crider each added three. Taylor Lunsford chipped in with two.

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Harlan County 70, Corbin 54

CORBIN (8-8)

Lauren Steely 2-5 0-0 6, Marissa Scott 3-7 0-0 9, Shelby Stewart 1-9 5-6 7, Jadyn Robertson 5-6 3-3 13, Harleigh Grubb 2-8 0-0 4, Lauren Sutton 0-2 0-0 0, Hannah Medlin 0-4 0-2 0, Kami Garland 2-3 0-0 4, Britnee Barnett 1-4 2-3 4, Lauren Faulkner 0-1 0-0 0, Bailey Stewart 2-2 0-0 4, Kaila Stidham 1-1 0-0 3, Brayli Warren 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Ashurst 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-52 10-14 54.

HARLAN COUNTY (13-3)

Phebe McHargue 4-7 2-2 10, K.K. Johnson 6-14 8-10 21, Reanna Middleton 4-7 3-4 11, Morgan Blakley 7-16 2-4 16, Breann Turner 3-6 0-0 6, Kassy Owens 1-2 0-0 2, Hannah Wood 0-2 0-0 0, Jacey Lewis 2-3 0-0 4, Kelly Beth Hoskins 0-1 0-0 1, Haley Middleton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-58 15-20 70.

Corbin 12 13 13 16 — 54

Harlan County 15 13 23 19 — 70

3-point goals: Corbin 6-22, Harlan County 1-11. Rebounds: Corbin 21, Harlan County 33. Turnovers: Corbin 18, Harlan County 10. Fouled out: None.