PINEVILLE — The 13th Region’s top two teams met on Log Mountain on Saturday, and the game moved up to the hype.
Brad Sizemore’s Bell County Bobcats led throughout regulation before defending 13th Region champion North Laurel forced overtime in the final seconds.
But in the end, the Bobcats did just enough to pull off a 64-59 over the Jaguars, snapping North Laurel’s 16-game win streak against 13th Region opponents.
Bell County was led by Ethan Buell’s four points in overtime, but the play of Blake Burnette and freshman Braxton Ferguson kept the Jaguars on their hills throughout the game.
Burnette, who scored his 2,000th career point in the win, scored three points in overtime while finishing with 22 points. Ferguson added 17 points, and Buell chipped in 16 points. Jaxon Thomas added two crucial 3-pointers and six points.
“First off tonight was a great high school basketball game played by two really good teams,” Sizemore said. “I have a lot of respect for North Laurel and how they play. They have some really talented kids and are well-coached.
“With that being said, our guys really wanted this game,” he added. “I thought we showed up from the tip and played super physical, smart on offense, and our guys took a lot of pride and getting this win. But at the end of the day, it’s just a regular season game, but I’m really happy for them and hopefully this gives us more confidence heading into the tournament. We know we have a know we have a nice ball club and hopefully everyone can see what I see in this group now.”
No. 8 ranked North Laurel was led by senior Reece Davidson, who tallied 31 points, including all five of the Jaguars’ points in overtime. He also hit five 3-pointers. Corey Cunagin added eight points while Kaiden Allen, and Cooper Elza finished with seven points. Jordan Rawlings finished with six points.
“We dug ourselves a hole early but I’m proud of the way we fought to get back in the game,” North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. “Credit to Bell County for punching us in the mouth to start the game. That is the second game in a row we have been out-rebounded by double digits and it’s hard to win road games when that happens They made more winning plays than we did down the stretch. We need to be in close games right now in order to continue to learn how to win.”
