LONDON — No. 9 ranked North Laurel came into Monday’s game against West Jessamine with lots of momentum after defeating No. 4 Frederick Douglas over the weekend.
The momentum carried over against the Lady Colts on Monday as the Lady Jaguars pulled off a 66-57 victory.
“Tonight was another outstanding win for our program,” North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan said. “West Jessamine is one of the top teams in the state, even if their record doesn’t fully reflect it. Injuries and a challenging schedule slowed them early, but over the past few weeks they have really started to hit their stride. Watching them compete, it’s easy to see a team that has the talent and toughness to make a deep run in the state tournament.“
We had multiple players step up in big moments tonight,” he added. “With it being Senior Night, emotions were understandably high, but this group stayed focused and played with great purpose. It was clear from the opening tip that this team wanted to win for their senior, Haley Combs. Haley has been a steady, dependable point guard since she arrived three years ago, and her leadership and composure have meant so much to our success.”
Led by eighth grader Laylee Phillips’ 23-point scoring effort, North Laurel took a slim 48-45 lead into the fourth quarter before pulling out the win.
Phillips, Mariella Claybrook, and Bella Phillips each came up with six points apiece during the last eight minutes, allowing the Lady Jaguars to improve to 17-6.
Claybrook turned in a 19-point scoring effort while Lewis added eight points. Haley Combs, and Bella Mahan finished with six points apiece while Emma Carl had four points.
“Offensively, we got off to a great start behind two threes by Bella Mahan,” Mahan said. “As the game settled in, Laylee Phillips caught fire for a strong 17 points and some key boards. Mariella Claybrook found her rhythm, and our offense really began to click. The ball moved well, shots were taken with confidence, and we did a good job building momentum as the game went on.
“Defensively, it took some time to adjust to West Jessamine’s attack, especially the combination of the very talented Claire Marshall surrounded by an excellent group of shooters,” he added. “They run an extremely effective offense and force you to defend multiple threats at once. Once we made those adjustments, our effort and communication improved and allowed us to get key stops. Bella Lewis gave us a strong performance on both ends of the floor, playing solid defense and finishing with several important drives to the basket. Overall, this was a complete team win. One built on effort, togetherness, and playing for each other, and especially for our senior on a special night.”
