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<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HINDMAN \u2014 The North Laurel Jaguars rallied late and pulled away in overtime to defeat Hazard, 54-43, on Friday night, advancing to Saturday\u2019s championship game of the WYMT Mountain Classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Laurel improves to 4-1 on the season with the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of our guys for that win,\u201d North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. \u201cCredit to Hazard for making things really tough on us. I thought we did a better job trusting each other in the second half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe got great defensive minutes from our bench,\u201d he added. \u201cThis is a great learning experience for us and we are excited to be in the championship game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hazard controlled much of the first half, jumping out to a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and extending the advantage to 25-19 at halftime. The Bulldogs continued to dictate the pace in the third quarter and held a 34-31 lead entering the final period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Laurel responded in the fourth quarter behind Jordan Rawlings, who scored seven of his team-high 18 points in the frame. The Jaguars battled back to force overtime tied at 43-all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once in overtime, it was all North Laurel. The Jaguars dominated on both ends of the floor, outscoring Hazard 11-0 to secure the victory. Reece Davidson scored four points in the extra session while Cooper Elza added three as North Laurel pulled away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n