LOUISVILLE — South Laurel traveled north and faced-off against defending state champion Sacred Heart on Friday.
The Lady Cardinals didn’t win, but hung tough before losing, 65-46.
South Laurel struggled early, but only trailed 24-18 at halftime before the Valkyries turned things up a notch in third quarter.
“Thought we played a sub-par first half, poor decisions with ball and 1-of-4 at the and was only down six,” South Laurel coach Tod Windlan said. “Third quarter, ran a quick-hitter, got the lay-up and missed it, and that set the tone as we were outscored 20-7.
“Our live ball turnovers, and free throw shooting killed us as we defended and rebounded the ball well, actually won the rebound battle. These are correctable mistakes and playing a team like Sacred Heart will only make us better come tournament time.
“I thought Skeeter Mabe played very well ,” he added. “She had 14 points and eight rebounds. Ryleigh Bretz also had eight rebounds for us. Tomorrow night’s game will be a great indication on our mental toughness, will we bounce back and play South Laurel basketball?
“The season is a marathon and not a sprint,” Windlan continued. “I would not trade my kids for any as we have great young ladies in the program. On a side note, I was very proud of our JV team winning in overtime, and gutting out a hard fought game. Go Cards.”
