PINEVILLE — South Laurel sophomore Kaden Taylor heated up in the second quarter by knocking down two 3-pointers, and never stopped, earning Player of the Game honors while tossing in a game-high 18 points and four 3-pointers to lead the Cardinals to a 57-53 win over Tennessee’s Jefferson County.
The win advances South Laurel to Monday’s semifinal action of the Third Annual Redmond Auto Group Holiday Classic while improving the Cardinals to 5-3 during the process.
“Thought we played with a lot of energy in the first half but in the second half we kind of lost focus and they did a good job of taking somethings away from us,” South Laurel coach Jeff Davis said. “We were able to find a way to finish the game. We just got to get better in certain situations and close those long gaps down to become a better team.”
Landon Howard’s four points in the first quarter powered South Laurel to a 12-11 edge entering the second quarter.
Two 3-pointers by Taylor, and five points from Brendan Murphy pushed the Cardinals’ lead to 30-21 at halftime.
Taylor added eight points in the third quarter while hitting two more 3s as South Laurel held a 45-39 edge entering the fourth quarter. Murphy scored four points during the period while Garrison Brown connected with a 3-pointer.
Taylor added four points in the fourth quarter while Brown added his second 3-pointer and Isaiah Robinson scored three points, helping South Laurel’s lead to pull away.
Murphy joined Taylor in double figures, finishing with 11 points while Blaine Baker and Robinson added seven points apiece. Brown finished with six points.
