HARRODSBURG — With only a week before postseason play begins, Eddie Mahan’s North Laurel Lady Jaguars seem to be hitting on all cylinders.
The Lady Jaguars are winners of the straight after defeating Mercer County, 62-44, on Saturday.
North Laurel had two players record a double-double as Mahan’s squad improved to 21-5 during the process.
The Lady Jaguars also done a fantastic job on Lady Titan leading scorer Anna Drakeford, who entered the game averaging 26 points per contest. She finished with 14 points while connecting on only three field goals.
“We knew coming into the game we would have to do a good job on Anna Drakeford,” Mahan said. “She is one of the best offensive players in the state. I thought Jaelyn Black did a good job containing her as she only had three field goals for the entire game.”
North Laurel held a slim 19-14 lead after the first quarter before using a 17-7 run in the second quarter to take a 36-21 lead at halftime.
The Lady Jaguars were outscored 12-10 in the third quarter before pulling away in the final eight minutes.
“The first of the game we had to make some adjustments,” Mahan said. “We didn’t seem to have a feel for the game until late in the first quarter but then things started to come together on both ends of the floor for us. We were doing a good job of playing off of Chloe McKnight, Mariella Claybrook and Brooke Nichelson and finding the right mismatches offensively. Everything for us is focused on executing better for the post season.”
Brooke Nichelson led the Lady Jaguars with 22 points, 12 rebounds while Mariella Claybrook added 11 points, and 12 rebounds. Chloe McKnight continued to dominate in the paint, scoring 19 points while finishing with six rebounds. Haley Combs had seven points, three steals and five assists while Gracie McKnight finished with three points, and six boards.
