LONDON — South Laurel freshman Shelbie Mills turned in one of her best efforts, if not her best in a Lady Cardinal uniform during the Lady Cardinals’ 80-73 win over West Jessamine on Friday.
Mills turned finished with a 29-point scoring effort while knocking down six 3-pointers during the Lisa Collins Classic.
She wasn’t the only freshman that turned in a stellar effort. Teammate Skeeter Mabe finished with 21 points while fellow freshman Maci Messer finished with 13 points.
“Well we couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start,” South Laurel coach Chris Souder said. “We were down 26-12 and we put some our younger kids in, who really played well. Kenna Andes, Callie Jones and Kylie Smith really gave us a lift.
The second half was a much better half. Shelbie Mills was great tonight and really just always leaves it on the floor every time she steps on the court. Skeeter Mabe also had a really good second half. We were fortunate to win this game. Such a learning process for this bunch.”
South Laurel (1-1) started off cold in the first quarter despite Mills scoring seven points during the period. West Jessamine built a 26-14 lead before the Lady Cardinals began to chip away.
Mills scored six points while seventh grader Callie Jones scored all five of her points in the second quarter to help South Laurel cut its deficit to 37-32 at halftime. Freshman Emma Adams also hit a crucial 3-pointer during the period.
The Lady Cardinals came out in the second half on a mission. They outscored the Lady Colts, 33-16, in the third quarter to take a comfortable 64-53 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Mills scored 13 points during the period while hitting two free throws. Messer added eight points while Mabe scored nine points and freshman Sydney Blanton scored a basket.
The Lady Cardinals put the game away in the final eight minutes by hitting 7-of-12 shot attempts from the free-throw line. Mabe had eight points during the period while Messer and Mills added three points, and sophomore Aubrey Bundy chipped in two points.
