LEXINGTON — North Laurel’s quest for the U.K. HealthCare KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16 State Championship continues Friday at 6 p.m. with a matchup against 10th Region champion Montgomery County.
The Jaguars secured a thrilling 54-53 victory over Breathitt County in the first round on Thursday, while the Indians enjoyed a comfortable 98-72 win against Lawrence County.
Both teams enter the game with identical records of 23-10 and are on six-game winning streaks.
North Laurel is led by Junior Reece Davidson, who scored 36 points against Breathitt County while pulling down nine rebounds. He also had four assists and two blocks. Cooper Elza added nine points while Jordan Rawlings, Kole Jervis and RJ Noble are also scoring threats.
Montgomery County has been a different team since Cayden Reed is back in the lineup. He’s played 16 games this season, leading the Indians to a 14-2 mark. Without Reed in the lineup, Montgomery County is 9-8.
He had 15 points and 10 assists against Lawrence County while Tyce Jarvis had 21 points and seven rebounds. Luke Fawns scored 23 points and eight rebounds.
The Indians were 38-of-71 from the floor, including a red-hot 16-of-32 from 3-point range. If North Laurel wants to advance to the semifinals, the Jaguars have to find a way to stop Montgomery County from the outside.
North Laurel was underdogs in all three of their region tournament games and came out on top. The They also trailed 53-51 with less than a minute remaining against Breathitt County, and won.
Those results alone, should tell everyone, the Jaguars can’t be overlooked.
