LONDON — North Laurel solidified its spot atop the 13th Region rankings by knocking off crosstown rival South Laurel for the second time this season with an impressive, 78-45, win.
The Lady Jaguars (10-3) have now won six in a row against the Lady Cardinals, who falls to 11-7.
“It always feels good to beat your crosstown rival,” North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said. “This one feels even better though because I know how talented they are. The narrative is often they are young but they started out with two players in the top 12 of the region which is the same as us. I think their success recently has showed they are talented, so we knew we were going to have to play well.”
South Laurel entered the matchup with lots of momentum after picking up wins over Ryle and Corbin, but North Laurel was just as hot.
The Lady Jaguars extended their win streak to a season-best four games as Haley Combs, and Brooke Nicholson scored 18 points apiece. Chloe McKnight added 17 points while Mariella Claybrook finished with nine points.
“I don’t think anyone was surprised at the strong start by Brooke Nichelson, as she is one the best players in the state,” Mahan said. “She is almost to where no one can guard her on the perimeter without fouling her. Her 18 points and 10 rebounds is almost a nightly event when she is healthy. Haley Combs came out though and proved just how good she is though. I think the adjustment to playing with us is starting to be seen and she is showing how she can get around most players. What I love the most though is she is a gym rat. She is always the last to leave the gym and blows my phone up to get in the gym on off days. Her work is showing up now in the games.
“Chloe McKnight and her 17 points and 12 rebounds was a good performance by her. Mariella Claybrook only had 9 points and 6 rebounds but she changes the game in so many ways,” he added. “There is a reason that colleges love her.”
Combs, and Nichelson both hit the hot hand in the first quarter, combining to score 17 points.
Combs scored nine points while Nichelson added eight points to help North Laurel to a 19-16 lead.
The Lady Jaguars took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Cardinals, 23-8, while taking a 42-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
“The first quarter, we were losing some shooters as we were too worried about helping on the cutters,” Mahan said. “Once we made that adjustment our defense was solid enough to initiate our run in the second quarter. It seemed like the momentum never changed back after that run.”
Seven points from Combs, five points from Nichelson, and four points by McKnight in the third quarter gave North Laurel a commanding, 61-36, edge entering the fourth quarter.
McKnight added seven points in the fourth quarter as the Lady Jaguars used a 17-9 run to out the game out of reach.
Shelbie Mills led South Laurel with nine points while Jamie Buenaventura, Maci Messer, and Kenna Andes finished with seven points apiece.
“Well tonight it is pretty simple — we got our tails kicked and didn’t respond,” South Laurel coach Chris Souder said. “For some reason we didn’t want to compete, and playing a good team, you get what you ask for. Handling some success isn’t easy and our kids showed that tonight. Disappointing loss for sure but we don’t have time to pout and feel sorry for ourselves. All we can do is go back to work.”
