South Laurel senior Emily Cox stepped up when her teammates needed her most during Saturday’s 13th Region battle with Bell County.
With the game tied at apiece heading into the fourth quarter, Cox poured in 11 of her game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter to help guide the Lady Cardinals to a 72-71 road win over the Lady Bobcats.
Cox finished the game with six 3-pointers and 10 rebounds while hitting 7-of-10 shot attempts from the free-throw line. She was consistent throughout the matchup, scoring seven points in the first quarter, nine points in the second quarter, eight points in the third quarter, and 11 points during the final eight minutes.
“Emily was incredible tonight,” South Laurel coach Chris Souder said. “Thirty-five and 10 is really impressive. She works so hard, and at the same time, trying to help all our younger kids. She is just a blessing to our team.
“It was a great team win,” he added. “We got off to a slow start, got down 12-2, but our kids battled hard. We are so young we are telling them to play the next play and just keep working. We did that tonight. We made some key 3s and made some key layups late in the game. I’m just really proud of how we battled.”
The game was nip-and-tuck throughout with South Laurel holding a 19-18 edge at the end of the first quarter despite Lauren McGeorge scoring nine of her team-best 27 points during the period.
The Lady Cardinals’ lead grew to 36-34 heading into halftime before Bell County tied things up at 52 apiece entering the fourth quarter. McGeorge added eight points during the period while Gracie Jo Wilder added six points.
Wilder continues to impress during the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of her 20 points but Cox’s 11 points combined with Kenlea Murray’s five points were enough to lift South Laurel to the win.
Murray finished with 14 points for the Lady Cardinals while Shelbie Mills had nine points, and Skeeter Mabe finished with eight points.
Matay Ausmus also scored in double figures for the Lady Bobcats, finishing with 15 points.
The Lady Cardinals will be back in action on the road Tuesday against Williamsburg while Bell County will host Harlan on Tuesday.
