LONDON — Two of the top teams in the state squared off during the Roy Bowling Classic on Saturday with No. 3 North Laurel outlasting No. 8 Simon Kenton, 42-39.
The three-point victory improved the Lady Jaguars to a school-best 13-0.
“Most important win of the season so far,” North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said. “Not because of how good they are, even though they are deserving of the state accolades, but because they were so well prepared and tough. That was the first time this season my team was figuratively punched in the mouth as Simon Kenton came out swinging.
“You could tell that we wasn’t used to being down early and we played tight the entire quarter,” he added. “In the second quarter, we used our defense to make a huge run but still seemed to not be able to get any half court offense going because of their physicality.”
Murray State signee Brooke Nichelson took over in the second half after seeing the Lady Jaguars trail 24-19 entering the third quarter.
She hit three 3-pointers to open the second half and scored nine points in the third quarter as North Laurel took a 33-30 advantage into the final period of play.
“What I thought was the true turning point was the third quarter,” Mahan said. “The team overall stepped up to match the physicality and Brooke Nichelson proved once again that no matter who we play she is the best player on the floor.”
Nichelson added six more points in the fourth quarter while finishing with a game-high 21 points while helping North Laurel secure the three-point win.
Haley Combs added nine points while Bella Sizemore finished with six points. Emma Carl had four points, and Mariella Claybrook chipped in two points.
“This is a win that makes you better,” mahan said. “That is one of the best teams in the state and extremely well coached. We will have more challenges coming our way this season and I hope we are even better prepared for those.”
