LONDON — A sign of a good team is to overcome their struggles and manage to find a way to win.
Eddie Mahan’s North Laurel Lady Jaguars done just that during Saturday’s Legacy Nissan Classic matchup with Rockcastle County.
Shots not falling combined with Murray State signee Brooke Nicholson battling foul trouble were signs the Lady Jaguars were in for a battle against the Lady Rockets.
But in the end, North Laurel righted the ship, handing Rockcastle County a 70-39 loss.
Despite getting in foul trouble, Nichelson notched her third straight 30-plus point game. She led the way with 35 points while hitting five 3-pointers and knocking down 6-of-8 shot attempts from the floor.
Mariella Claybrook added 10 points while Haley Combs scored six points. Bella Mahan and a Bella Sizemore each chipped in five points apiece.
“Tonight was a perfect type of game for us early in the year,” Mahan said. “Unlike against Hazard, we had effort defensively but our shots were not falling and Brooke Nichelson got in foul trouble and had to go to the bench. It was a great opportunity to force some of our players to have to step up. Two of the players that stepped up were Haley Combs and Mariella Claybrook.”
North Laurel (3-0) held leads of 15-9 and 30-21 at the end of the first and second quarters, respectively before outscoring Rockcastle County, 40-18, in the second half.
“We were not surprised by the early battle that we were in,” Mahan said. “I had told my team that Coach Noble would have as good of game preparation as we will see all year. She is a tremendous coach and her team had a good game plan for us.”
The Lady Jaguars will now switch their focus to the WYMT Mountain Classic. They’ll play Prestonsburg on Wednesday at Perry Central with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
