Many had penciled North Laurel in the 13th Region Girls’ Tournament finals way before the tournament tipped off, and they proved the prognosticators right by defeating Harlan County (62-38), and South Laurel (67-63) to reach its fifth 13th Region title game in six years.
But what most didn’t expect was the team they’ll be facing with a trip to Rupp Arena on the line, familiar for Jackson County.
The Lady Generals might be tagged as the tournament’s Cinderella by many, but coach Kourtney Tyra and her players believe they belong right where they are, and after seeing how easily they defeated both Bell County (58-38), and defending 13th Region champion Corbin, 64-42, they deservedly so belong in the finals.
“Right now, we are just excited,” Tyra said. “We just want to come out tomorrow, and we’re going to have a good game plan. They’re a great team. They have more experience than we do here but we’re going to give it our best shot.
I feel good about this and feel good about my team right now. I’m excited,” she added. “We can go back and see where we’ve struggled at the past three times, where they got us at. We are going to go back and watch the last time we played them because we really struggled in that.”
Jackson County has played North Laurel three times this season with the Lady Jaguars winning all three matchups, 55-48, 55-47, and in the 49th District title game, 71-41.
The Lady Generals have lost 32 straight games to North Laurel with their last win coming against the Lady Jaguars way back on Dec. 14, 2007.
North Laurel also possesses a current 41-game win streak against 49th District opponents.
Even with his team’s current success against the Lady Generals, North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan knows his team has its hands full on Sunday.
“Jackson County has been a dangerous team all year and one that poses matchup problems for every team in the region,” he said. “We are lucky we have the size that we do as it helps tremendously. Abby Gilbert is one of the best players in the region and she has looked like it in tournament play.”
Jackson County will be appearing in its seventh 13th Region title game, and first since 2004.
The Lady Generals are 25-19 all-time in the 13th Region Tournament. The last time they won the regional title was back in 2003 against Rockcastle County (54-40). They have five overall regional title, and post a 5-1 mark in region tournament title games.
North Laurel is 17-14 overall in the 13th Region Tournament. The Lady Jaguars will be participating in their fifth 13th Region Tournament title game on Sunday. They are 1-3 in the region title game with their lone regional championship coming in 2019 when they defeated Harlan County, 73-33, which in turn is the largest margin of victory in a 13th Region Tournament game.
