Eddie Mahan’s North Laurel Lady Jaguars are once again tagged as one of the front-runners to capture the 13th Region championship.
Despite the departure of the program’s career leader in points scored, Hailee Valentine, who graduated, the Lady Jaguars are once again primed and ready to make another deep postseason run.
North Laurel has compiled the best record among 13th Region teams dating back to 2014, posting a 213-82 mark while winning accumulating an active five consecutive years of winning the 49th District Tournament while winning a region title in 2019, and making go to the 13th Region title game in four of the last five seasons.
“This team has come out motivated for the upcoming season,” Mahan said. “They recognize how important Emily Sizemore has been to this program and the sacrifices she has always made. It’s because of this, they want her to go out with another 13th Region championship. They know that no matter how good a player is, they are really remembered by the way a team wins even more than the individual accolades.
“I just keep reminding them that consistency is hard,” he added. “It is easy in the preseason to play hard, it’s easy early in the season, but the great teams are the ones who play hard and with confidence 30-plus games in.”
North Laurel is coming off a disappointing loss to eventual regional champion Corbin in last year’s 13th Region Tournament semifinal matchup.
Many believed the Lady Jaguars were well on their way to a regional crown, but the Lady Redhounds has different plans, defeating North Laurel, 58-46.
“We have for sure not forgot that we had an earlier than expected exist for our season,” Mahan said. “No one on our roster had ever lost to Corbin since the last time was back in 2014, and I believe our players went in with too much confidence and were shaken by the poise of Corbin’s team. Coach (Isaac) Wilson, his staff and his team did a great job last year, and they came together and earned a 13th Region championship.”
Despite returning a strong nucleus of talent, Mahan said he does have concerns.
“I would love to say that we have everything figured out going into this season, but we don’t,” he admitted. “With the graduation of Hailee Valentine, and a focus to change our offensive approach, we will be a work in progress especially early on. It might be odd for us to focus on changing our offense after having so much success on the offensive side of the ball the last few years, including the No. 1 offense in the state last year, but it has been our offense that has become stagnant at the wrong times the last two years. That is why we need to make a few changes.
“I do believe I have as much depth as I have ever had, and we have more size and length in that depth than ever before as well,” he added. “We have multiple lineups that we will be able to use if our players buy in and put the team first. The one thing I do know is we will not be as fast-paced as we have been the last few years. The personnel does not fit that style nearly as well this year. If we are going to win when it counts, we will have to execute in the half court much better and focus on consistent defense.”
Another strength North Laurel will possess is the return of Emily Sizemore.
“Emily Sizemore is the perfect leader by example,” Mahan said. She is always going to put the team first and has a high basketball IQ. Her returning after already holding the school record for rebounding and assists is obviously huge for us. She will be able to guide us and lead this team in big games.
“Anytime you graduate your all-time leading scorer, it will be hard to replace,” he added. “Hailee Valentine was not just a scorer though, as she was first on our team in deflections and steals last year. She could create runs with her offense or defense, and we will miss that on both sides of the ball.”
If the Lady Jaguars manage to make another deep postseason run, Mahan was quick to point out, Corbin will be one of the teams to look out for.
“Corbin is deserving of the No. 1 ranking,” he said. “They return some great players, and they beat us when it counted last year. Darcie Anderson with her skill level and length has some of the best college potential around. They have earned where they are. What they proved last year though is it’s how you end the season that really matters.
“Bell County will always be in the mix as long as David Teague is the coach, so I never over look them as well,” he added. “Another dangerous team is in our own district. Jackson County has more size as anyone, and that automatically puts them in the conversation.
“We take pride in how our program has developed over the years.,” Mahan continued. “When I came to North Laurel, I knew this program should always be at the top of the region, but had not consistently done so. We have worked hard on our feeder programs and in turn it has given us a tremendous amount of talent over the years.
“It’s the players who have done the work to get us where we are, and I have enjoyed the ride,” he added. “We have always worked to give our community a team they could be proud of. However, even though we have had a lot of success, I know our program can take another step. It’s state championships that we have our eyes set on.”
