LONDON — Nate Valentine’s North Laurel Jaguars picked up a key 49th District win on Friday while exacting some revenge as well.
After dropping a seven-point decision to 49th District rival Clay County on Jan. 3, the Jaguars returned the favor with a convincing 78-63 win over the Tigers.
North Laurel is now 12-6 overall and 5-1 against 49th District opponents while Clay County falls to 13-4 and 2-1.
“I’m really proud of the fight and heart our guys showed tonight,” Valentine said. “Clay County made things very tough on us on both ends of the floor. We responded when they made their run. Our guys did a great job staying together and finding a way to get the win.”
The Jaguars held a 12-10 lead after the first quarter thanks to RJ Noble’s 10 points.
They took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers, 21-7, taking a 33-17 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Reece Davidson scored seven points during the period while Kole Jervis had five points.
Clay County cut its deficit to 48-35 as Ethan Jackson hit two 3-pointers while scoring 12 points.
North Laurel secured the win in the final eight minutes as Cooper Elza hit 8-of-8 free throw attempts while as a team the Jaguars went 15-of-16 from the free-throw line down the stretch.
The Tigers were their own worst enemy at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, hitting on only 3-of-7 attempts. Grayson Hooker tried to keep his team in the game, hitting three 3-pointers during the final period, but lay County never closed the gap.
Davidson led all scorers with 22 points while Noble added 18 points, and Jervis finished with 17 points.
Jackson led Clay County with 21 points while Hooker finished with 11 points, and Jerrod Roark added 10 points.
