CORBIN — North Laurel saved its best basketball for the final eight minutes.
Trailing most of the night, the Lady Jaguars erupted in the fourth quarter to defeat South Laurel 45-34 in the 13th Region Girls’ Basketball Tournament Championship at The Arena on Saturday.
The victory gives North Laurel its fourth consecutive 13th Region title and the program’s fifth regional championship overall. The four consecutive regional titles marks only the fourth 13th Region team to accomplish the feat, and first since Clay County won four in a row from 2009-2012.
The four straight regional titles marks title wins also ties the longest Laurel County girls’ basketball record. Laurel County High School’s Lady Cardinals won four straight from 1982 to 1985.
“Winning four straight 13th Region championships is a credit to the culture that has been built here over the years,” North Laurel Eddie Mahan said. “So many players have poured their time, effort, and heart into this program to create the standard that these girls continue to carry forward. Every group adds something to it, and this team honored that tradition tonight.”
The Lady Jaguars (26-8) also extended their regional dominance with 12 straight victories in 13th Region Tournament play and improved to 25-12 all-time in the event.
“This was a true team win,” Mahan said. “We had contributions from so many different players and that is what makes this group special. Everyone understands their role and they are willing to do whatever it takes to help us win.
“This team has faced adversity all season long, but over the last few weeks they have really come together,” he added. “They have grown closer, gotten tougher, and done what North Laurel basketball has always been about, fighting through, staying together, and finding a way to win. I love my team and I couldn’t be more proud of the way they competed tonight and the way they represent our program.”
South Laurel controlled much of the game early, leading 9-5 after the first quarter and taking an 18-15 advantage into halftime. The Lady Cardinals still held a slim lead entering the final period before North Laurel’s offense finally caught fire.
The turning point came early in the fourth quarter.
With South Laurel (26-6) ahead 25-24, Haley Combs scored with seven minutes remaining to give North Laurel a 26-25 lead, its first advantage since the opening quarter. Combs struck again moments later to extend the margin to 28-25.
North Laurel then seized control.
Freshman Molly Morgan buried a three-pointer to push the lead to 31-25, and eighth grader Laylee Phillips followed with four consecutive points to stretch the Lady Jaguars’ advantage to 35-26 with under four minutes remaining.
The Lady Jaguars outscored South Laurel 22-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away and secure the championship.
Combs was named 13th Region Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the championship effort.
She finished the tournament with 42 points, 15 assists, and a tournament-best 21 steals.
Combs was joined on the All-Tournament Team by North Laurel teammates Mariella Claybrook, Laylee Phillips, Bella Lewis, and Bella Mahan.
“We really struggled to score in the first half, but what I loved about our team was how everyone stayed together,” Mahan said. “Our entire group, including our bench, stepped up and played for each other and for our senior Haley Combs. When you play for the person beside you instead of worrying about the moment, it makes it so much easier to fight through those tight stretches.”
Combs led all scorers with 18 points while Phillips has 13 points while Claybrook finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks.
South Laurel’s All-Tournament selections were Skeeter Mabe, McKenzie Fannin, and Maci Messer.
Messer led the Lady Cardinals with 12 points while Mabe added 11 points.
“Proud of our kids and hoping this is another learning lesson as the first step of success is failure and how you learn from it,” South Laurel coach Todd Windlan said. “Tough loss for our program. Our No. 1 goal was rebounding and they killed us on the glass and were quicker to the ball in a lot of instances. We had a great chance to extend our lead when we got up 16-8 but did not capitalize on it. We did not shoot the ball well as we were 1of-11 from 3 and missed several around the rim shots. Hats off to Coach Mahan and North Laurel as they were the better team tonight. Go Cards.”
