LONDON — North Laurel continues its dominance in the 49th District, winning its 45th consecutive win over a district opponent while running its win streak to 13 games over Clay County during the process on Friday.
The Lady Jaguars (9-3) limited the Lady Tigers (5-10) to their lowest point output of the series between the two teams during their 63-24 win.
The trio of Brooke Nichelson, Chloe McKnight, and Mariella Claybrook were hard for a lay County to contain.
Nichelson only played 13 minutes and scored 17 points while pulling down eight rebounds. McKnight only played 13 minutes, and finished with 12 points, and eight rebounds. Claybrook scored 10 points, and finished with seven rebounds.
“It’s always great to get your first district win of the season,” North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said. “I was worried about some fatigue from our trip to Florida and seen it some on the defensive side but offensively we came out shooting the ball well with five 3s in the first seven minutes.”
The Lady Jaguars built a 30-5 lead in the first quarter, and led 46-10 at halftime before taking a 56-11 lead into the fourth quarter.
“The entire starting lineup came out and did what they are supposed to do,” Mahan said. “Limited minutes for all of them and they were all able to contribute to the win. Mariella Claybrook is one of the best players in the region right now and humble enough to come off of the bench and keep contributing. She showed some really great moves in the post and nice ball handling and shooting from the perimeter. At 6’2, her length makes her really special.
“Haley Combs had seven points and nine steals,” he added. “Her contributions on the defensive side of the ball continues to impress me and she has the potential to be great on both sides of the ball. Tonight was a good game to get some varsity experience for all of our younger players as well. Games like this will only help in their development.”
