After going 1-2 in the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge at South Laurel High School in recent days, the Corbin Redhounds now stand at 2-5 overall ahead of hosting this year’s Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament.
The Hounds showed growth throughout the Dribble Drive Challenge. Despite a 24-point scoring effort by junior Evan Ellis, they fell to Russell in their opening game Saturday, 65-55. They bounced back nicely against East Jessamine on Sunday, though, scoring their most points as a team to-date and securing a 78-47 victory. Senior Eli Pietrowski had a fantastic showing against the Jaguars, scoring 27 points.
Corbin wrapped up play in the Dribble Drive Challenge Monday against a solid Rockcastle County Rockets team. Rock managed to come out on top in the end, 69-66, but it took an overtime period for them to get the job done. Pietrowski ended up having another big night, scoring 22 points, while junior Trey Person contributed 14 points.
The Redhounds will now shift their focus to the Annual Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament, which will kick off this Saturday, Dec. 27, at Corbin High School. Head Coach Tony Pietrowski and company will welcome in four other teams from around the state, and one team from just below the state line, for this year’s tournament.
Coming into town for the 2025 CFIT are the Barbourville Tigers (1-4), the Jackson County Generals (6-3), Dawson Springs (2-6), WEB DuBois (8-2), and the Jellico, TN Blue Devils (8-5).
Barbourville has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season. They were in action recently in Whitley County’s BSN Borderline Classic, losing two games to a pair of opponents from Tennessee – Clarkrange and Smyrna. They will no doubt be looking to surprise folks in Corbin in the coming days.
Jackson County started off the season with four straight victories before falling to the Whitley County Colonels on Dec. 12. They fell to Barbourville about a week later in a competitive contest, so a chance for revenge against the Tigers could present itself soon.
The Dawson Springs Panthers are coming to town all the way from Region 2. They look to be very capable on the offensive end of the court, averaging about 60 points per game through their first eight outings.
The WEB DuBois Lions may be considered the overall favorites in this year’s tournament. Playing out of Region 6, they boast wins this season over opponents such as Danville, Louisville Central and DuPont Manual. This past weekend, they scored 100 points in a 100-44 win over Augusta in the Colby Hause Classic at Bracken County High School.
Finally, the Jellico Blue Devils are off to a great start this season, winning four of their last five games, including a 78-52 victory at Williamsburg on Dec. 16. As the only team not from Kentucky in this year’s CFIT, they will be looking to make a statement and bring the championship trophy back with them across the state line.
The 2025 Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament will kick off this Saturday, Dec. 27, and will feature three straight days of pool play. Barbourville and Jellico will face each other at 6 p.m. Saturday, followed by Corbin taking on Jackson County. On Sunday, Jellico and WEB DuBois will meet up at 2 p.m., followed by Jackson County taking on Dawson Springs. Next Monday, Corbin and Dawson Springs will play at 6 p.m., followed by Barbourville versus WEB DuBois. These contests will determine the pairings for Tuesday, Dec. 30.
On Dec. 30, the two number three seeds will play for fifth place honors at 5:30 p.m. Overall third place will be up for grabs when the two number two seeds square off at approximately 7 p.m. This year’s CFIT championship will be determined at about 8:30 p.m. when the two number one seeds do battle for the trophy.
