HAZARD — The two-time defending 13th Region champion North Laurel Lady Jaguars added another championship to their already impressive resume by capturing the WYMT Mountain Classic title on Saturday.
The Lady Jaguars let everyone know in the 13th Region that the road to Rupp Arena goes through London after handing Knox Central its first loss of the season with a 73-37 victory.
North Laurel (6-0) dominated its opponents during the three-game tournament, winning by margins of 34, 38, and 37 points.
The Lady Jaguars’ margin of victory this season is 35 points per game.
“We were looking forward to a matchup with Knox,” North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said. “We knew we didn’t have them in the regular season, so this was a great opportunity to see them before a possible region tournament matchup in the future. We know they have talent, so we knew we were going to have play well.
“We have one of the best players in the state of Kentucky and the best athlete I have ever coached and she went to the bench about two minutes into the game with two fouls,” he added. “The great thing about this team though is after she goes out our team stepped up. Mariella Claybrook showed why she has so many Division I offers, as she did a tremendous job defensively holding Halle Collins to only six points while contributing in so many ways on offense as well. Bella Sizemore had a welcome back party with six threes and five of those in the first half.
“As good as the above girls all played though, it was a total team effort to win in the fashion we won today,” Mahan continued. “This team can be special as long as we keep the team first.”
Eddie Mahan’s squad took control of the WYMT Mountain Classic title game in the first quarter, never looking back.
North Laurel built a 16-7 lead before taking a 36-19 edge into the locker room at halftime.
The Lady Jaguars continued to dominate in the second half, outscoring Knox Central, 37-18, to secure the 37-point victory.
Bella Sizemore turned in a game-high 24 points, hitting six 3-pointers. After scoring only three points in the first half due to picking up two fouls in the game’s first two minutes, Brooke Nichelson got hot, and finished with 19 points while Mariella Claybrook added 12 points. Emma Carl and Bella Lewis contributed nine points apiece.
Shelbie Mills led Knox Central to 10 points.
