On the night that he became the 13th Region’s career leader in points scored, North Laurel senior Reed Sheppard gave the home crowd at The Jungle even more to cheer about, leading the Jaguars to their third consecutive 49th District title with a convincing 102-55 win over Clay County.
Sheppard entered Friday’s matchup needing 21 points to surpass former Corbin Redhound player Andrew Taylor’s 3,628 points, and almost accomplished the feat in the first quarter.
Sheppard started the game red-hot from the floor, scoring 19 points during the first eight minutes before eclipsing the record at the 7:06 mark of the second quarter with a lay-up.
“We are very proud of Reed for this accomplishment,” North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. “His teammates have played a huge role in this as well. Becoming the region’s all-time leading scorer is a significant milestone considering the rich history of the 13th Region. So many of the state’s best have played in this region over the years. It’s really astonishing when you consider he has over 1,000 assists as well.”
Sheppard’s final stat line at home is one to remember. He finished worth 42 points, 11 assists, seven steals, six 3-pointers, and five rebounds, which were good enough to lead North Laurel to its fifth straight win over Clay County while going 3-0 this season with an average margin of victory of 35.6 points.
“I’m extremely proud of our team tonight,” Valentine said. “That was a great effort with a district title on the line. We shared the ball really well and played with great energy. We are excited for the 13th Region Tournament next week.”
Ryan Davidson also turned in a stellar effort during his last game at home, scoring 23 points while pulling down five rebounds.
Gavin Chadwell turned in one of his best efforts wearing blue and green, finishing with 16 points, and six rebounds while Brody Brock hit two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points.
The game was never in doubt with North Laurel leading 32-16 at the end of the first quarter, and 57-32 at halftime. The Jaguars’ lead grew to 83-48 entering the fourth quarter before they out the finishing touches on the win by outscoring Clay County, 19-7.
North Laurel shot 38-of-58 from the floor including a 9-of-22 effort from 3-point range. The Jaguars scored 30 points off of the Tigers’ 19 turnovers. North Laurel outrebounded Clay County, 23-20.
The Tigers shot 18-of-37 for the game, including a 12-of-25 effort from 3-point range.
Hayden Harris led Clay County with 15 points while Tate Rice added 12 points.
The stage is now set for the 13th Region Tournament with North Laurel (49th District), South Laurel (50th District), Barbourville (51st District), and Harlan County (52nd District) entering as their respective district champions.
Clay County (49th District), Corbin (50th District), Pineville (51st District), and Harlan (52nd District) will enter be entering the 13th Region Tournament as their respective district’s runner-ups.
The 13th Region Boys’ Tournament draw will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Corbin Arena.
