With all eyes on Reed Sheppard, senior Ryan Davidson, came through with his biggest made shot of his career while Sheppard recorded his biggest assist of his career.
The two cousins had plenty of reason to celebrate with their teammates after seeing the Jaguars claw from behind throughout Wednesday’s first round action of the 13th Region Boys’ Tournament.
With North Laurel and Harlan tied at 52 apiece in the fourth quarter with under 10 seconds remaining, Sheppard took a pass, and drove to the basket and and threw the ball back out on top to a wide-open Davidson, who nailed a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to give the Jaguars a 55-52 win.
Before Davidson’s game-winning shot, he had misfired on 1-of-11 shot attempts but instantly became the hero while never hesitating to knock down the long range bomb.
He finished with nine points, and six rebounds while Sheppard was close to recording a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists along with three steals, and two blocks.
The Jaguars struggled the entire game on offense but found a way to pull off their 24th win of the season after trailing, 32-25, at halftime, and 38-35, entering the fourth quarter.
Gavin Chadwell came up huge for North Laurel, turning in his best game in a Jaguar uniform, totaling 15 points, and 12 rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor while Brody Brock finished with 10 points.
“I’m really proud of our team tonight,” North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. “We didn’t play particularly well and Harlan had a lot to do with that, but, we just kept fighting. Some nights the ball doesn’t go in the basket and you have to find other ways to win.
“Brody and Colton (Rawlings) gave us an outstanding effort defensively in the second half and I felt like that was the difference in the game,” he added. “Gavin was a warrior tonight and kept us in it. I was happy Ryan had the opportunity to make that last shot. He didn’t play his best but Reed still had faith in him to make the biggest one of the night.”
Harlan limited the Jaguars to 19-of-54 shooting, including a 5-of-18 effort from 3-point range. North Laurel won the rebounding battle, 36-20.
Will Austin led the Green Dragons (24-9) with 17 points, including a 4-of-6 effort from 3-point range. Austin’s 3-pointer with close to 12 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 52 apiece.
Kyler McLendon finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while Kaleb McLendon had 13 points. Jae’dyn Gist finished with six points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
The Green Dragons finished the game shooting 21-of-58 from the floor, and 8-of-30 from 3-point range.
Harlan came out on fire in the first half, limiting North Laurel to only a 10-of-32 shooting effort while the Jaguars connected on only 3-of-13 from 3-point range.
The Green Dragons held Sheppard to eight points, and five rebounds on 3-of-10 shooting.
Despite its struggles, North Laurel took a 16-14 lead into the second quarter before being outscored, 18-9, while founding themselves trailing, 32-25, at halftime.
Harlan connected on 14-of-34 shot attempts while hitting 4-of-15 from 3-point range. The Green Dragons held a 19-16 rebounding edge while forcing the Jaguars into six turnovers.
Kyler McLendon played huge in the first half, scoring eight points while pulling down eight rebounds, and also dishing out four assists. Kaleb McLendon added 10 points.
The Green Dragons didn’t hit their first field goal until four minutes into the second half but still managed to take a 38-35 advantage into the fourth quarter.
North Laurel outscored Harlan, 20-14, in the final eight minutes, and 30-20 in the second half.
The Jaguars are now 17-11 all-time in 13th Region Tournament play while the Green Dragons are 48-32. Harlan has now lost nine consecutive region tournament games with its last win coming against Red Bird, 61-46, in 2000.
