LONDON — Another edition of the crosstown showdown between North Laurel and South Laurel is in the books after the Cardinals did just enough to pull off a 49-41 win.
Both teams entered the game unbeaten as South Laurel’s record improved to 3-0 while the Jaguars fell to 3-1.
North Laurel entered the game battle-tested picking up wins over Lexington Catholic, Jeffersontown and Henry Clay while the Cardinals were coming off double-digit wins over Harlan and Clay County.
South Laurel solidified its spot atop the 13th Region rankings by building a 25-22 halftime edge before pulling off its eight-point victory over the region’s No. 3 ranked team.
Senior Jordan Mabe turned in solid efforts on both ends of the court, finishing with a game-high 19 points while Kaiden McQueen finished with 12 points. Josh Steele and Colton Rawlings added eight points apiece. Rawlings scored five points in the final eight minutes which included a big 3-pointer.
Kole Jervis led North Laurel with 14 points while Reece Davidson added 11 points.
“I’m certainly disappointed in the final result tonight but this will make us better,” North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. “We have played four quality teams so far this season. When you do that, some things get exposed and it gives you something to work on. We wanted to test our guys early and learn some things about our team. We will get back to work tomorrow and get ready for our district opener on Thursday.”
South Laurel will be back in action Saturday against Montgomery County in the Pride of the Mountains Classic while North Laurel travels to play 49th District foe Oneida Baptist on Thursday.
South Laurel coach Jeff Davis couldn’t be reached for comments.
