LEGACY NISSAN DRIBBLE DRIVE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

The South Laurel Cardinals defeated the Cooper Jaguars 61-43 to claim the 2022 Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge Championship. The Cards would defeat Green County, Louisville Central, and Cooper to claim the tournament hardware.

Defense was essential in the first quarter, limiting the Jags to only four points. South would lead 15-4 as the first quarter concluded. The Cardinals would double their scoring total, going into the half up 32-17. Eli Gover would cap off the half with a clutch half-court three-pointer at the buzzer.

In the second half, intensity would pick up for both teams. Momentum would swing back and forth throughout the third quarter, but ultimately shift with another buzzer beater three-point shot from senior Ashton Garland. South would maintain their lead 44-28, and knockdown several free throws in the fourth quarter to successfully pull away from the Jaguars. South Laurel would win the contest 61-43.

Payne commented how good it felt to compete in and win their own tournament. “Cooper beat us last year, so we had some motivation coming into this game. This was a great way to end things right before Christmas and puts us on the right path before going to Florida”. Garland would add, “It felt great to win this tournament, and gets us pumped up for the rest of the season. This will push us to continue working harder as a team”.

“This was a great three days for us”, said Coach Davis. “We had to play different styles that tested us both physically and mentally. Today we had to stay focused on the task at hand. You won’t find a better coach that teaches kids to play defense as hard as Cooper did”. Davis was proud of the response from his squad, and how they responded when things didn’t go their way. A lot of guys played well at different times throughout the tournament. “When someone was off, somebody else stepped up. We need to continue to get better and work on the little things so that we will be ready by tournament time”.

Coach Jeff Davis and his crew will travel to Daytona, Florida for their next tournament. South will compete in the Daytona Beach Sunshine Classic. This makes five wins in a row for the Cards as they look to continue their winning ways.

Scoring: Mabe 18, Gover 17, Garland 12, Jones 8, Payne 4, Steele 2

-Dylan Wilson, SL Basketball Media