Coming into the season, North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said he was going to test his Lady Jaguars early and often with one of the toughest schedules in the state.
With already playing the likes of Corbin, South Laurel, Floyd Central, Whitley County, and DuPont Manual, his team has already been through numerous battles, so Friday’s matchup at The Jungle against No. 8 ranked, and defending 15th Region champion Pikeville Lady Panthers wouldn’t be no different — except it was.
North Laurel stunned Pikeville by handing the Lady Panthers (2-1) their first loss of the season, a 58-37 decision, to improve to 4-2.
“We really stepped up our defense tonight,” Mahan said. “We struggled some offensively in the first half but our defense kept us with the lead.
“Any time a team has two Division I guards, and you hold them to a combined seven points, then you have executed your defense well and your players understood the personnel on your scouting report,” he added. “After playing so poorly against Corbin on the defensive side of the ball our girls are beginning to understand the importance.”
North Laurel received another steady dose of balanced scoring with Brooke Nichelson leading the way with 17 points while Chloe McKnight has 16 points. Emily Sizemore chipped in a 10-point scoring effort while Bella Sizemore had seven points, Jaelyn Black six points, and Abby Hibbard finished with two points.
“Anyone who looks at our stats will see how well Emily, Brooke and Chloe played offensively but our entire team played well on both sides of the ball, and read the defense well for us to execute in the second and third quarters well,” Mahan said.
The Lady Jaguars held a slim, 23-18, edge at halftime before outscoring Pikeville, 35-19, in the second half.
“Beating the No. 8 team in the state by 21 is great and playing this competition will only make us better,” Mahan said. “Competition and rising to the occasion is what we build our program on. Most of my kids could average 25 a game on a team not as deep as ours, or who does not play the competition we do. It’s our players sacrifices that set them apart and makes this team special.”
North Laurel will be off until Dec. 28th when the Lady Jaguars will participate in the ASA Christmas Clash in Adairsville, Ga.
