LONDON — South Laurel continued its surge through one of the toughest stretches of its schedule Monday, rallying past crosstown rival North Laurel for a 60-55 victory in a matchup featuring the top two teams in the 13th Region.
South Laurel entered the game ranked No. 2 in the region and North Laurel No. 1 with both teams sitting inside the top 15 statewide.
The win improves the Lady Cardinals to 10-5 on the season, while North Laurel drops to 9-3.
The victory marked South Laurel’s second consecutive win over a top-10 opponent after defeating Taylor County on the road Saturday, 63-57.
North Laurel set the tone early, jumping out to a 17-11 lead after the first quarter. Mariella Claybrook scored 10 points in the opening period, while Laylee Phillips added four and Paisley Kilburn knocked down a 3-pointer. South Laurel stayed within striking distance behind Maci Messer, who scored six points and hit two 3-pointers, while Callie Jones added five points, including a 3-pointer.
North Laurel carried a 29-24 advantage into halftime despite Claybrook battling foul trouble at times. She scored six points in the second quarter while Bella Mahan hit a 3-pointer. Messer connected from long range and scored six in the quarter for South Laurel while Skeeter Mabe added six points to keep the Lady Cardinals close.
South Laurel made its push in the third quarter.
Jones scored seven points, including a 3-pointer, as the Lady Cardinals cut the deficit to 43-39.
Claybrook scored six points in the period for North Laurel while Phillips answered with two 3-pointers.
The fourth quarter belonged to South Laurel.
Messer and Mabe scored seven points apiece in the final period while Jones added four as the Lady Cardinals completed the comeback. South Laurel went 7-of-11 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Claybrook scored seven points in the period for North Laurel, while Haley Combs added a three-pointer.
Messer led South Laurel with 23 points and four three-pointers, while going 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Jones finished with 17 points and three three-pointers, and Mabe added 15 points while hitting 7-of-9 free throws.
“Great atmosphere and great well played game by both teams,” South Laurel coach Todd Windlan said. “We made some adjustments at halftime and in third quarter and ours kids did a great job implementing it.
Maci Messer had a tremendous game for us scoring 23 points and had multiple deflections and steals on defense. Callie Jones had 17 points and played great defense for us. Skeeter Mabe was tremendous scoring 15 points, dishing out eight assists to go with eight rebounds.
“Super-proud of my team and effort they gave me,” he added. “Our schedule strength really helped us tonight playing close tough games against very good teams.”
Claybrook led North Laurel and all scorers with 29 points while going 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Phillips added 12 points with two three-pointers. Mahan scored five points, and Combs finished with four.
North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan credited South Laurel’s style of play while noting missed opportunities.
“Playing a team like South Laurel for the first time is always challenging because of how well they control tempo and limit possessions,” he said. “I thought Mariella was having an outstanding game and gave us a huge lift on both ends of the floor until some very rare foul situations forced her out for extended stretches. When you combine her absence with the limited number of possessions South Laurel allows, along with a 23–10 discrepancy at the free-throw line, it creates a difficult formula to overcome.
“That said, we had opportunities to separate ourselves early,” Mahan added. “Our offensive execution in those moments was good enough to put the game away before momentum shifted, and that’s an area we have to capitalize on moving forward. As the season continues, we have to become more disciplined, especially in games where margins are small and every possession matters.”
