HARLAN — North Laurel’s perfect season remains intact after recording its 16th double-digit win, defeating Harlan, 70-41, on the road on Monday.
The Lady Jaguars are now 18-0 with two big games coming up — a road contest against Pikeville on Feb. 1, and a home matchup against unbeaten Madison Central on Feb. 4.
“Harlan has two top 10 players in our region and a terrific upcoming freshman guard,” North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said. “We knew coming into the game that their talent in addition to playing at Harlan would make this a challenging game. It’s nice to play an in-region opponent as that is usually hard to come by for our program.
“(Kylie) Noe is one of the toughest players to matchup with,” he added. “Her physicality is rare in our region. Aymanni Wynn is a terrific shooter and really helps create so much space for the team. Her getting in foul trouble was a benefit for our team. A big key for us was a quick start. Our defense lead to early transition and a 11-for-11 start.”
After connecting in their first 11 shots, the Lady Jaguars held a commanding, 29-6, lead at the end of the first quarter.
Senior Brooke Nichelson scored 12 points during the period while Haley Combs scored six points, and Bella Sizemore added five points.
North Laurel continued to roll in the second quarter with Sizemore and Nichelson adding eight points apiece while guiding the Lady Jaguars to a 54-16 halftime advantage.
Harlan (10-11) outscored North Laurel, 25-16, in the second half, but the damage had already been done.
Nichelson led all scorers with 24 points while Sizemore added 13 points. Mariella Claybrook added 12 points while Combs finished with nine points.
Peyshaunce Wynn led the Lady Green Dragons with 16 points while Kylie Noe finished with 11 points. Photos by Jon Dickenson
