PINEVILLE — South Laurel wrapped up play at the Third Annual Redmond Auto Group Holiday Classic with a hard-fought 64–60 loss to Southwestern on Monday.
“Give a lot of credit to Southwestern, they did a great job on the glass and made things really tough for us,” South Laurel coach Jeff Davis said. “We had our chances and players battled to give us a couple of chances to win it. But like someone said, I choked tonight and need to do a better job of getting our guys better shots, plays and rebounding positions. That all falls on me.”
The Cardinals finished the tournament with a 1–2 record and now stand at 6–5 on the season.
South Laurel got off to a solid start, leading 13–9 at the end of the first quarter and carrying a slim 26–25 advantage into halftime.
Southwestern responded after the break, edging ahead 44–41 entering the fourth quarter before holding on down the stretch.
Kaiden McQueen led the Cardinals with 23 points, converting 9-of-13 free throw attempts in the loss. Kaden Taylor knocked down three three-pointers and finished with 11 points. Both McQueen and Taylor earned All-Tournament Team honors for their performances during the event.
Brendan Murphy added nine points for South Laurel, while Garrison Brown chipped in seven. Brown was also one of two players to receive the tournament’s 110 Percent Award.
Photos by Eli Burchfield
