BARBOURVILLE — South Laurel won its third in a row against Knox Central, improving to 16-2 against the Lady Panthers dating back to 1998 thanks to a 72-45 road win on Thursday.
The win improved the Lady Cardinals to 4-3 while Knox Central falls to 4-2 after starting the season with three wins.
Chris Souder’s squad took control early, and never looked back, turning in another stellar defensive effort while sharing the ball on offense.
“Just a really good win tonight,” Souder said. “Our kids were ready from the start. We also had a chance to get our legs back under us. The stat I was most proud of was we had 18 assists. Aubrey Bundy had eight assists and she was just making the correct read early.
“Maci Messer and Shelbie Mills really ran the floor and Skeeter Mabe was just great on the glass,” he added. “We struggled a little in the third quarter but our kids did a good job adjusting to their adjustments. Just really proud of our effort. Really good team win against a really good region team.”
The Lady Cardinals received seven points from Messer, six points and two 3-pointers from seventh grader Kylie Smith, and five points from Mills in the first quarter to build a 20-7 lead.
Mills added 10 points in the second quarter while Messer, Mabe, and Jamie Buenaventura each scored four points apiece as South Laurel’s lead grew to 42-20 at halftime.
Knox Central’s Halle Collins scored eight of her 22 points in the third quarter as the Lady Panthers outscored the Lady Cardinals, 12-10, to cut their deficit to 52-32.
South Laurel put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter behind the play of Bundy, Messer, and Mills. Bundy scored seven points during the quarter while Messer added five points, and Mills chipped in four points.
Mills led the Lady Cardinals with 21 points while Messer added 18 points, and Mabe finished with 10 points. Bundy scored nine points, and Smith finished with eight points.
Collins turned out to be Knox Central’s lone scorer in double figures while Jaylynn Fain added six points, and Sydney Hurst scored five points.
