LONDON — North Laurel knew the challenge ahead, and Assumption proved every bit as strong as advertised.
The No. 3-ranked Rockets flexed their status as one of Kentucky’s elite teams Thursday, pulling away late to defeat the No. 10 North Laurel Lady Jaguars, 51-37.
Assumption led 17-8 after the first quarter, 24-19 at halftime, and used a dominant third period, outscoring North Laurel, 15-3, to create the separation it needed.
Eighth grader Laylee Phillips led the way for the Lady Jaguars, scoring 14 points while knocking down four 3-pointers. Haylee Combs added eight points with two 3-pointers, and Mariella Claybrook also scored eight points.
Assumption was led by Se’Rae Bundrent-Palmer’s 13 points, while Miss Basketball candidate Ashlynn James chipped in five.
North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said the matchup was exactly the type of challenge his program needs.
“Assumption is every bit as good as their ranking suggests,” he said. “We’re a top 10 caliber team in this state, but tonight showed the difference between being top 10 and being top three. That gap is real, and Assumption earned every bit of that separation with the way they play. With no disrespect to any other team in Kentucky, I think Assumption is the most athletic team in the state. Their length, their speed, and their ability to pressure you for 32 minutes is something very few teams can replicate.
“When I scheduled this game, I knew exactly what we were stepping into,” Mahan added. “I knew their press and their athleticism would put our young guards in uncomfortable situations, and honestly, that’s why I wanted this matchup. You don’t get better by avoiding challenges, you get better by seeing what the highest level looks like and learning from it. This was a measuring-stick game for us, and it gave us a clear picture of what we have to sharpen and what habits we have to build if we want to reach our ceiling. We were down five at half and had our chances when we came out in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the first and third quarter we didn’t have the right mentality offensively to make our own runs.”
Mahan was also impressed with Assumption star player, Ashlynn James.
“Ashlinn James is more than just a candidate for Miss Kentucky Basketball, she’s the frontrunner,” he said. “Her ability on both ends of the floor is impressive and Indiana has valuable player coming in next year.
The goal for this program isn’t just to win games in December,” he added. “Our goal is to be a team that can beat programs like Assumption in the postseason when everything is on the line. We’ll take what we learned tonight, we’ll grow from it, and we’ll make sure we close that gap.”
North Laurel (0-1) returns to action Saturday at 4:30 p.m., hosting Hazard.
