CORBIN — North Laurel used a strong fourth-quarter finish to pull away from Corbin for a 69-55 victory Tuesday.
The win improves the Jaguars to 10-4 on the season while Corbin dropped to 5-7.
North Laurel set the tone early, taking a 17-12 lead after the first quarter and carrying a 36-26 advantage into halftime. Corbin responded with a strong third quarter to close the gap, trimming its deficit to just 48-46 entering the fourth.
Reece Davidson took over in the final eight minutes, scoring 12 of his game-high 24 points to help North Laurel regain control down the stretch. Corey Cunagin added 17 points for the Jaguars, while Kaiden Allen finished with 10. Cooper Elza scored seven points, and Jordan Rawlings added six.
“I’m really proud of our guys for grinding that one out,” North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. “Coach Pietrowski had his guys ready to go tonight and they are getting better every game after getting their football guys back. They kept making runs every time we got some separation. I thought we had great poise and stuck together when things got tight. We got solid contributions from everyone that played. That’s a good win we can build from.”
Corbin was led by Evan Ellis, who scored 23 points to keep the Redhounds within striking distance. Eli Pietrowski followed with 15 points while Lucas Britton added seven and Trey Person finished with six points.
Corbin coach Tony Pietrowski said his Redhounds showed resilience after a slow start but couldn’t finish the job late.
“We came out and let them gap us early,” he said. “Not a great way to start against a team of that caliber. Showed a lot of grit and battled our way back into the game. Proud of my kids for that.
“We just didn’t execute down the stretch,” he added. “Too many turnovers and missed assignments. With the level of competition we are playing you can’t do that. Excited to get back in the gym for a stretch of practices. Numerous areas we can improve upon before we head into district play.”
