CROSSTOWN SHOWDOWN ROUND 2

South Laurel falls to crosstown foe North Laurel 63-46.

The Jaguars of North Laurel would travel to South Laurel for their second meeting of the season. The Cardinals kept the Jaguar lead to 11 points going into the half. However, North would continue their scoring efforts with the help of Reed Sheppard and Ryan Davidson. South provided a valiant effort, but could not force a comeback, falling to North Laurel 63-46.

Coach Davis had high praise for the North Laurel squad, and their newly announced McDonald’s All-American Reed Sheppard. “You have to give North credit; they came out hitting shots and forced us into some turnovers. We also couldn’t buy a basket. I was proud of how we continued to fight and were able to get it down to single digits. When you dig yourself a hole to a team led by Reed, it’s difficult to mount a comeback”.

“I thought we really settled down defensively after the 1st quarter”, added Davis. “Offensively, we just couldn’t hit that one big shot when we needed it to most. Reed is such a great player that if you try to take something away, he is so smart, he will just hurt you with something else. Davidson continues to get better and better. Some college is going to get a steal, he is a blue-collar player”.

“We will learn from this and make us better for the postseason. There were several bright spots, but we must keep focusing on moving the ball and making better decisions in crucial situations”, said Davis.

With the regular season dwindling down, seniors Ashton Garland and Parker Payne had comments on how they can keep improving until postseason play.

“We need to stay focused and work hard in practice every single day”, exclaimed Garland. “We need to execute on offense as we are pushing closer to the end of the season. We are all excited for the rest of the seasons and post season. We are all hoping to make a run in the postseason tournaments”.

Payne added, “I think we need to improve on executing our offensive plans better heading into the end of the season. Being a leader in practice is very important, especially when post season comes. It’s important I keep the guys focused and locked in. I’m excited for the rest of the season as well, and I am hopeful we will be able to make a good run at the region tournament”.

South will travel to Williamsburg High School for another district matchup Tuesday, January 31st. Tipoff will be at 7:30 pm.

Scoring: Gover 13, Mabe 13, Payne 11, Steele 6, Garland 3, Jones 2

-Dylan Wilson, SL Basketball Media