WILLIAMSBURG — In Tuesday’s 50th District Tournament semifinal matchup against Williamsburg, top-seeded South Laurel donned replica jerseys of the Laurel County 1982 state champions.
Their performance on the court showcased a defensive effort that would have made the state champions proud, limiting Anthony Hibbard’s squad to only six made field goals.
After limiting the No. 4 seeded Yellow Jackets to only one point in the first quarter, the Cardinals cruised to an easy 54-18 win while clinching a berth into the 13th Region Tournament.
The 18-point scoring output was the lowest amount of points Hibbard’s squad has scored this season.
“Give Coach Hibbard credit, he did a great job of having his team ready,” South Laurel coach Jeff Davis said. “He has done a great job with his team. We played a little tight at first and was trying a little too hard. We settled down and relied on our defense.”
South Laurel (22-10) entered the game, allowing only 50 points per game, and was on top of its game defensively through Tuesday’s contest, limiting Williamsburg (17-10) to only six field goals.
The Cardinals led 9-1 at the end of the first quarter and 18-9 at halftime before entering the fourth quarter with a 34-13 advantage.
Jordan Mabe led the way on both ends of the court for South Laurel, scoring 15 points while contesting numerous shot attempts by the Yellow Jackets. Max Fullmer added 12 points while Colton Rawlings chipped in seven points.
Cooper Prewitt led Williamsburg with eight points while Mate Goodin added four points.
