LEXINGTON — After starting the season 2-8, there weren’t many high school basketball prognosticators that thought Nate Valentine’s North Laurel Jaguars would finish the regular season with a winning record.
North Laurel proved the doubters wrong.
Valentine’s squad recorded a 61-58 over Lafayette on Friday while improving to 16-14. The Jaguars are now 14-6 during their last 20 games.
“I’m really proud of our guys tonight,” Valentine said. “It’s not easy coming to the city and getting wins. I can’t say enough about the character of our guys to be able to withstand the ups and downs of a season. After starting 2-8, they found a way to fight back and get to 16-14.
“As I told them early in the year — nothing matters except our next game,” he added. “Everyone is back in the tournament with a chance to advance. We’ll go back to work and get ready for next week.”
Kole Jervis scored 17 points in the win while Brody Brock finished with 15 points. RJ Noble added 11 points while Joel Smith had 10 points. Reece Davidson was back in the lineup, scoring eight points.
