LONDON — In a back-and-forth matchup that stayed tight from start to finish, the Clay County Tigers made just enough plays down the stretch to secure a 63–57 road win over South Laurel on Tuesday.
“The first half we weren’t containing the dribble, Robinson especially, we got beat off the bounce way too much, and we were losing Taylor in our rotations,” Clay County coach Michael Jones said. “Those two had 23 of their 32 points at the half. We made an adjustment at halftime and it was the difference in the game.
“Proud of the kids for making plays down the stretch when we needed them,” he added. “This was a great early season test for both teams.”
South Laurel took a slim 32–31 lead into halftime thanks to hot starts from Kaden Taylor, who poured in 13 first-half points, and Isaiah Robinson, who added 10. The Cardinals also shot well early, connecting on 4-of-7 from 3-point range in the opening half.
Clay County countered behind a huge first half from Aiden Wagers, who scored 17 before the break, while Adon Gunn chipped in six.
The Tigers trailed by just one at the break and kept the pressure on throughout the second half.
Clay County appeared to take control late, but South Laurel continued to battle.
A Kaiden McQueen layup with 50 seconds remaining trimmed the Tigers’ advantage to 59–57, setting up a tense finish.
Clay County sealed the win at the line. Brody Booker and Jacob Rogers combined to hit four straight free throws in the final 17 seconds, preventing a South Laurel comeback and locking down the victory.
“Really proud of how our team played at a really tough place to play against a really well-coach team,” South Laurel coach Jeff Davis said. “We made some plays tonight and some shots. But we had a few spells where our youth showed and we will keep getting better as the year goes. We continue to play hard and defend each play. Just have to keep grinding to eliminate those small missed details. love this bunch, they fight and play for each other.”
Wagers led all scorers with 24 points and six rebounds, while Rogers followed with 16 points. Adon Grubb added 11 points and six rebounds for the Tigers.
Clay County finished 23-of-35 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and matched South at the line by hitting 15-of-20 free throws.
South Laurel had three players in double figures — Taylor with 16, McQueen with 15, Brendon Murphy had 11, and Robinson with 10. The Cardinals shot 21-of-44 overall, 6-of-15 from 3-point range, and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
