Breathitt Co. overcomes struggles to reach Sweet 16

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - It’s been a tough season for the Breathitt County Bobcat basketball team.

After historic flooding impacted the entire community, their coach passed away in December.

Now the team is preparing to compete at Rupp Arena in the Sweet 16.

Breathitt County’s Kyle Moore is the high school football coach and athletics director, and after the death of boys basketball coach BB King in December, he’s also taken on the role of interim basketball coach.

“With these guys, I’ve known them their whole lives. I feel comfortable around them. They feel comfortable around me. It went a lot better, obviously, than you would think when you have a football guy coaching basketball,” said Moore.

Moore is no stranger to the court he played back in his day, and he comes from a long line of coaches, like his mother. It would have been hard enough to make the Sweet 16, even without the challenges they faced this year.

This is a team that lost their coach midseason .and a community that lost so much in the July floods.

“We’ve been through hard times the past few months. Just to see good times coming up, they get behind us, support us. It brings the whole community together,” said shooting guard Luke Bellamy.

Bellamy says it’s actually the trials they’ve been through this year that have shaped them into the team they are today.

“Just the team bonding together and see the smile on people’s faces from us winning has just been awesome,” said Bellamy.

Because after the year they’ve had, this town needed something to cheer for.

“I’ve been a part of state championships, a sweet 16 team years ago. This one seems to have our community in high spirits. More so than in a long time,” Moore said.

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