Less than 24 hours from handing Whitley County a 37-point loss, the South Laurel Cardinals showed no sign of being tired against Breathitt County during Saturday’s Bobby Bowling Classic.
The Cardinals managed to pull out a 56-46 win because why?
Stingy defensive play.
It marked the 15th time this season South Laurel has held its opponents to under 50 points.
“We couldn’t buy a shot in the first quarter,” South Laurel coach Jeff Davis said. “We were coming off a game last night and then had a quick turnaround and no prep.
“They’re a good basketball team,” he added. “We couldn’t buy a bucket but what kept us in it we were able to weather to storm. I’m just proud of our effort.”
The Cardinals fell behind, 18–14, in the first quarter but used defensive pressure in the second story.
South Laurel limited the Bobcats to only two points in the period while taking a 25-20 advantage in the locker room at halftime.
The Cardinals saw their lead cut to 36-32 at heading into the fourth quarter.
Jordan Mabe, and Gover helped guide South Laurel to a 17-7 mark after outscoring Breathitt County, 20-13, during the fourth quarter. Mabe scored nine points during the quarter while Gover added six.
Jordan Mabe led all scorers with 18 points while Gover and Parker Payne scored 17 points apiece.
The Cardinals will be back in action Tuesday on the road against Lynn Camp the game is scheduled start at 7 p.m.
“We just take things one game at a time,” Davis said. “We have a lot of things to clean up on. We’ve got a tough schedule this coming week.”
