MOUNT VERNON — Knox Central put an end to North Laurel’s eight-game win streak on Saturday thanks to McKenzie Hensley’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer as the Lady Panthers slipped past the Lady Jaguars, 55-54.
The two teams met earlier in the season during the WYMT Mountain Classic with North Laurel pulling out a 50-40 win, but the Lady Panthers were without the services of team leading scorer, Halle Collins.
Collins played Saturday, scoring a team-high 19 points while teammates Jaylynn Fain, and Timberly Fredrick hit key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter along with Hensley, who scored five points and hit the game-winning shot to help Knox Central rally and grab the victory.
“This loss was on me and my mistakes,” North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said. “We had the lead going into the final minutes and I made multiple coaching errors which allowed Knox Central to have the chance to bank the 3 in to win the game.
“The physicality of the game was a huge part of some of our early struggles, but is something we have to work on,” he added. “Knox did a good job especially on the defensive end. They had a good game plan and Coach (Steve) Warren’s players executed his plan well. We will learn from this game and get back to work preparing for postseason play which is not that far off.”
After only scoring a point in the first quarter, North Laurel’s Brooke Nichelson caught fire and added 18 second half points, finishing with a team-best 19 points. Haley Combs continued her impressive play of plate, finishing with 18 points while Gracie and Chloe McKnight scored seven points apiece.
Fredrick scored nine points for Knox Central while Hensley added eight points. Fain and Kelsie Smith scored six points apiece.
The Lady Panthers (13-8) led 10-7 after the first quarter, and 25-20 at halftime before North Laurel (14-4) used a 24-14 run in the third quarter to take a 44-39 advantage with eight minutes remaining.
Knox Central outscored the Lady Jaguars, 16-10, during the fourth quarter.
