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<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nate Valentine\u2019s North Laurel Jaguars found themselves in another battle on Saturday, this time around against No. 4 ranked Covington Catholic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jaguars were once again tested early and often against a Colonel squad that entered The matchup with a 15-2 mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Laurel fell behind early, and rallied late before coming up short with a 69-65 loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jaguars (11-9) were looking to win their third game in a row for the first time since starting the season with a 5-0 mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Reed Sheppard battled foul trouble throughout the contest, and was limited to a season-low four points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe dug ourselves a hole early and fought back,\u201d Valentine said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of our guys for battling in a tough environment. We just have to learn to execute on both ends of the floor late in games. We\u2019ll be fine. I have all the confidence in the world in these guys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Laurel rallied from a 37-26 halftime deficit and used a 27-13 run to take a 53-50 advantage with four minutes remaining in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Colonels\u2019 Evan Isparo took over, scoring 11 of his team-best 21 points during the fourth quarter, allowing His team to close the game out with a 19-12 run to seal the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ryan David led all scorers with 34 points while Gavin Chadwell added 14 points. Colton Rawlings, and Brody Brock each scored six points apiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n