LEXINGTON — It wasn’t a win, but the North Laurel Jaguars are showing signs of improvement.
North Laurel built a 34-28 first half lead against Henry Clay only to see the Blue Devils rally to hand the Jaguars a 64-62 defeat on Saturday.
North Laurel is now 0-5 on the season with hopes of capturing its first win Thursday against 49th District for Oneida Baptist.
“We put ourselves in a position to get a win against a very good team and came up a little short,” North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. “Our players and coaches have continued to work extremely hard this week to right the ship. I still have a lot of confidence in this team and we will continue to fight our way out.”
Kole Jervis and Joel Smith each hit 3-pointer in the first quarter while Reece Davidson scored six points to help guide the Jaguars to a 14-11 lead heading into the second quarter.
Jordan Rawlings hit two 3-pointers, and scored eight points as North Laurel’s lead grew to 34-28 at halftime.
Henry Clay outscored Valentine’s squad 18-7 in the third quarter to take a 46-41 lead, and wrapped up the win by holding off a late rally by the Jaguars in the fourth quarter.
Davidson led North Laurel with 19 points while Brody Brock added 12 points. Rawlings finished with 11 points while Jervis scored eight points, and Cooper Elza and Smith each scored six points apiece.
