When considering the amount of veteran leadership that was lost to graduation from last year’s Corbin Lady Hounds basketball team, some may think that the program is entering a rebuilding phase in 2024-25. When you take a closer look, however, you will see that the team is actually bringing more than enough weapons back to the lineup to be considered among the region’s top squads once again.
True, Corbin said goodbye to a very special group of senior athletes at the end of last season that included Kallie Housley, Bailey Stewart and Darcie Anderson.
This class was responsible for putting the Lady Hounds back on top of the district and the region, but just as important to the program’s recent success has been players like Kylie Clem, Lydia King, Raegan Walker and Izzy Walker, all of whom should play a large role in Head Coach Isaac Wilson’s game plan moving forward.
Clem in particular will be counted on to lead the way for Corbin in the scoring category, coming into her senior season as the team’s second-leading scorer (behind Housley) one year ago. Raegan Walker also ended up in a top five scoring position on the roster last year, but her most valuable contribution was leading the team in rebounds by a wide margin. She will also be a senior leader for the Hounds this winter.
King, a sophomore, and Izzy Walker, a junior, both showed great promise with productive minutes throughout the 2023-24 campaign. Fans can expect to see much more out of both of them in the weeks and months ahead.
The Lady Hounds will open up their season with a pair of home games against 13th Region opponents Barbourville and Harlan County on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6. These contests should present Coach Wilson and his staff with good opportunities to gauge where the team needs to improve ahead of a two-week stretch of holiday classic competition that will include Corbin’s own Christmas Bash event on Dec. 20-21.
Regular season district play will get underway soon after the New Year, with South Laurel and Whitley County promising to pose tough challenges and Williamsburg likely to be much improved from where they were last season.
Other non-region contests to pay close attention to include a scheduled encounter at Ashland Blazer on Jan. 3 and a road trip to Southwestern Pulaski on Jan. 25.
Basketball Hounds’ progress on hold while football team makes deep postseason run
The Corbin Redhounds will be making some adjustments this season after graduating two of their top three scorers from last year’s squad, but they will also be glad to have many of their most capable playmakers back on the roster as they seek a return trip to the 13th Region tournament finals.
Zander Curry led the way for the Hounds last winter, averaging 12 points per game and inspiring teammates with his hustle on the court. His presence in the lineup will surely be missed, but the good news is that the ever-improving Eli Pietrowski will be returning for his junior campaign in 2024-25. He too averaged a dozen points per outing last season, and should be considered among the top players in the region moving forward.
Another Redhound who was key to Corbin’s game plan last season was Trey Worley. Averaging ten points per game, his size and athleticism helped give the team an edge whenever he was on the court. His absence will also be felt, but the departure will allow for other players, such as senior Conner Blackburn, to get more opportunities to shine in the weeks and months ahead.
One more graduating senior from last year’s Redhounds team, Carter Stewart, was a multi-year starter who made a name for himself as one of the most dynamic ball handlers in the region. While his ability to put opponents on their heels when the ball was in his hands will not be easily duplicated, returning players like the young Ryder Akins and the veteran Connor Middleton will certainly be up to the task.
Overall, Corbin Head Coach Tony Pietrowski, who is entering his 24th season at the helm, feels like his team will once again be capable of making a run in the district and the region.
“I am excited about our season,” Pietrowski said recently. “We lost some really special players, but with that said, we have a mixture of kids who can step up and contribute to our team this season.”
It is not uncommon for the Corbin football team to make deep runs into the postseason, which is once again the case this year. That is fantastic, of course, but it also means that the basketball team cannot be at full strength while many of its players are still taking care of business on the gridiron for at least another week, or possibly two.
“The early season can be tough for us at times,” Pietrowski explained. “We have more kids out this season than we have had in the past, but until we can get our football guys in and start to form some kind of continuity, it can be difficult. Plain and simple, until we get some practices and conditioning in with our full team, we won’t be the best that we can be.”
As already stated, Pietrowski is used to this particular dilemma, and if past experience is any indicator, the basketball Hounds will likely take some lumps early on, only to begin peaking down the stretch, which is when it matters the most. This is a tried-and-true formula that has worked out just fine for the team many times in the past.
While the goal is always to win every game that you play in, Pietrowski knows that it is most important to be at your best in those late-season win-or-go-home situations against district and/or regional opponents. When asked what the team will need to do to find success in 2024-25, he said, “Patience early. It’ll take some time for us to play at the level that we expect to play at. We have to remain unselfish, and put the team first. We have a good amount of weapons, and as long as we put the team first we can really make some noise this season.”
Corbin is scheduled to open up the season on Friday, Dec. 6, with a road trip to face the Harlan County Black Bears in a rematch of last season’s 13th Region title game.
However, it is conceivable that those plans could change should the football Hounds find themselves playing for a Class 4A state championship title in Lexington on Dec. 6.
