Let’s just say Reed Sheppard, and the North Laurel Jaguars had a good day on Tuesday.
Sheppard’s 43-point, seven-rebound effort was good enough to help North Laurel record a convincing, 87-67, win over 12th Region power Lincoln County.
Sheppard brought his ‘A’ game to the table, and connected on 13-of-21 shot attempts, including an impressive 7-of-11 effort from 3-point range. He also didn’t miss any of his 10 free throw attempts while tallying five assists, two blocked shots, and one steal.
Teammates Ryan Davidson, Colton Rawlings, Gavin Chadwell, and Brody Brock came up huge, too.
“I’m super proud of our team tonight,” North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. “Lincoln County was very efficient offensively and extremely well coached. That was a great game for us. We had to grind that one out, and finally got some separation. “Reed played a great offensive game,” he added. “Ryan (Davidson) and Gavin (Chadwell) anchored us and battled extremely hard all night and finished plays. Brody (Brock) hit a huge 3 out of the half that got us going and Colton (Rawlings)continued to stretch the defense with four 3s tonight. That is a game we needed as we head into postseason. I’m really happy for our team tonight.”
North Laurel didn’t break the game open until late.
The Jaguars led 17-12 at the end of the first quarter before Lincoln County cut its deficit to 34-32 at halftime.
Valentine’s squad managed to get a little breathing room entering the fourth quarter after building a 57-52 advantage before outscoring the Patriots, 30-15, during the final eight minutes.
Sheppard scored 16 points during the fourth quarter while Davidson added seven of his 18 points, and Rawlings continued his impressive play by adding five of his 14 points.
Davidson also grabbed six rebounds, and finished with four assists, and two blocks. Rawlings was 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Chadwell added eight points, seven rebounds, and two assists while Brock finished with four points, and a key 3-pointer.
The Jaguars will be back at home Friday against Covington Catholic. The two teams met Jan. 21 with the Colonels coming away with a 69-65 win.
