SOMERSET — North Laurel hooked up in a defensive battle but managed to pull off the win by defeating Southwestern, 48-36, on the road Tuesday.
The Lady Jaguars entered the game losing two of their last three games but got back on track while improving to 12-5.
“This was a good road win for us, but it was far from our best basketball,” North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said. “Defensively, we had too many breakdowns in our rotations and our communication wasn’t where it needs to be. We were fortunate at times that Southwestern didn’t fully capitalize on those mistakes, because against better teams those lapses will hurt you.
“Offensively, we were pretty stagnant for long stretches,” he added. “We didn’t move the ball or ourselves nearly enough, and that allowed the defense to sit on us instead of having to work. When we did get into the paint, share it, and play with pace, we saw better results, but we didn’t sustain that consistently throughout the game.
“The positive is that even with those issues, we found a way to win on the road,” Mahan continued. “That says something about our toughness and ability to grind through games when things aren’t clicking. Now the challenge is cleaning up the details better talk, sharper rotations, and more purpose on the offensive end, because that’s what will separate us moving forward.”
The game was close throughout with the Lady Jaguars holding an 18-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, and 25-20 at halftime.
Mariella Claybrook scored five points while Laylee Phillips added four points in the third quarter, pushing North Laurel’s edge to 36-26 entering the fourth quarter.
Bella Mahan knocked down a huge 3-pointer while Bella Lewis came through at the free-throw line, hitting all four of her attempts, allowing North Laurel’s edge to pull away in the final eight minutes.
Claybrook led the way with 15 points while Phillips finished with 13 points. Mahan added nine points and hit three 3-pointers while Lewis scored eight points and Haley Combs chipped in three points.
