LONDON — Despite having to go through some growing pains while hitting some bumps in their run to a fourth straight 13th Region championship, the North Laurel Lady Jaguars are ready play at their home away from home — Rupp Arena.
North Laurel continued its recent success by rallying to knock off South Laurel in Saturday’s 13th Region title game while sitting with a 26-8 mark.
“This team has a really good balance of experience, leadership, and depth,” Mahan said. “We have players who have been through big moments before and understand what it takes to compete at a high level, and we also have younger players who have stepped into their roles and contributed in important ways. From the beginning, we felt like this group had a chance to be special because of talent but we needed to see how the pieces fit together and the personal growth. Our expectations are always high in this program. The goal is always to compete for district and regional championships and give ourselves a chance to make a run at a state championship.”
After starting the season with a close loss to state power Assumption, North Laurel reeled off nine consecutive wins, establishing itself as one of the best teams in the state.
“I wouldn’t say it surprised me, but it was definitely encouraging,” Mahan said of his team’s win streak. “Early in the year, you’re still figuring out rotations and roles, but this group came together quickly. They defended at a high level, shared the basketball, and didn’t really worry about who was getting the credit. When a team plays that unselfishly and competes the way they do, you can put together a good stretch of basketball.”
Mahan said he realized his team’s had the talent to make another deep postseason run after seeing how his team responded to adversity and quality competition.
“There were games throughout the year where we had to make plays late or adjust to what another team was doing, and the girls continued to respond the right way,” he said. “When you have a team that can defend, rebound, and have different players step up offensively on different nights, that’s when you start to feel like you have a group capable of making a deep run.
“We did have a tough three weeks in January where it seemed like the team was headed in a bad direction,” Mahan added. “We were not playing the way a North Laurel team plays. The peak of that bad play was our Simon Kenton game. We played with very little passion and heart. However, after that game we had a shift in attitude and it was lead by our upperclassmen leaders. Mariella (Claybrook) had been a consistent leader but I think the biggest growth was Haley Combs. Her play and leadership has help this team rebound to even greater heights. All of that could be seen throughout the region tournament.”
The win over South Laurel gave 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 Lady Jaguars also extended their regional dominance with 12 straight victories in 13th Region Tournament play and improved to 25-12 all-time in the event.
“The biggest thing is how much they want to live up to the North Laurel Legacy now,” Mahan said. “They play unselfish basketball and celebrate each other’s success all while chasing after what has now become expected now within our program which is championships.
“We also have really good depth, which allows us to keep fresh players on the floor and have different people step up when we need them,” he added. “Add in their work ethic and the culture that has been built in this program over the years, and that’s been a big part of why this team has had so much success.
“All of those accomplishments mean a lot because they speak to the consistency of the program and the players who have come through it,” Mahan added. “The nine straight district titles and four straight region titles really stand out because that shows how hard it is to sustain success over time. It’s also a credit to the players from previous teams who helped lay the foundation for the girls we have now.”
Mahan said it’s hard to compare his five region title teams, but did say all of the teams were special.
“It’s always hard to compare teams because every group is different and every season has its own challenges,” he said. “Each of those teams had something that made them special. What I will say about this group is that they have embraced the expectations that come with the program and have continued to build on what the teams before them started. It also has been rather special watching a team who started strong, but ran into a rather tough time in January, bounce back even stronger.
“It showed a team that was extremely resilient and the last few weeks a much closer and positive group,” Mahan added. “The attitude of this team dramatically changed in a positive way a few weeks ago and we have not lost since. We hope that attitude carries us into a deep state tournament run.”
