CORBIN — When it comes to the North Laurel/South Laurel rivalry, there’s no question the Cardinals have dominated the series.
South Laurel leads the overall series 43-7 and owns a perfect 3-0 mark when it comes to region tournament play, but the Jaguars hope to turn things around today during the two teams’ 51st meeting.
“Even though it’s a regional semifinal game, it still makes a difference that we’re playing South Laurel,” North Laurel coach Jim Conway said. “The rivalry has been so lopsided and I’m sure it plays a part mentally, but our guys hope to change that this time around.”
When it comes to beating South Laurel, North Laurel seems to struggle. The last time the Jaguars defeated their cross-town rivals was back on Dec. 7, 2007.
Before that win, the Cardinals reeled off 11 straight victories against North Laurel.
“I really don’t think it’s an issue that we’re playing them,” South Laurel coach Steve Wright said. “When you reach the regional semifinals, I think overall, teams are going to do what got them this far. You’re going to play to your strengths and go from there.”
Conway’s Jaguars have come a long way since starting the season with an 0-6 record. North Laurel is 15-11 since and the Jaguars are only two wins away from advancing to their first trip to the Sweet Sixteen.
“The kids could have folded a long time ago, but they didn’t,” Conway said. “They persevered and I am very proud of them for doing that.”
North Laurel advanced to the semifinals by knocking off Harlan County, 58-51, while South Laurel needed a free throw by Matt St. John with three seconds remaining to beat Knox Central, 54-53.
“It was a tough game, but you survive and advance,” Wright said. “When you get to this point of the postseason, you just want to do whatever you can to reach the regional finals. There is only two teams that can play for a regional championship and I hope we’re one of them.”
Wright said for his team to beat North Laurel, the Cardinals must have a balanced offensive attack and contain Adrian Wardrup.
“Wardrup has shown he is a very good player,” he said. “He’s hard to stop no matter who they are playing. We’ve got to figure out a way from keeping him taking over the game.”
South Laurel is 2-0 against the Jaguars this season and Conway said his team needs to focus on defense.
“When we played them this season they have used a run to either get back into the game or broaden their lead,” he said. “We’ve got to keep them from doing that. The other big key is that we can’t have scoring droughts. We did that against Harlan County and we need to refrain from doing that in this game.
“We’ve gotten this far, so we’re going to try to see what we can do to them on Saturday,” Conway added.
Local Sports
Cross-town rivals face off
- Local Sports
-
-
Cards stand ground
It took a team effort, but South Laurel was able to make the big play late to defeat Harlan County, 5-4, and advance to the semifinals of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament.
-
Moving on
It wasn’t easy, but North Laurel managed to sneak by Corbin, 2-1, during the first round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament Monday.
-
Lady Cards slip past Clay County
James Burns’ South Laurel Lady Cardinals continued a recurring theme in the first round of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament — scoring runs with two outs and nobody on.
-
Bell eliminates Knox Central
Bell County built a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning against Knox Central in first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament Monday, but still needed a leaping catch by centerfielder Alisha Russell to seal the deal on the Lady Bobcats’ win over the Lady Panthers.
-
Errors lead to Barbourville’s 15-0 loss to Harlan County
A crucial error in the second inning led to five unearned runs for Harlan County, as the Lady Black Bears cruised to an easy 15-0 win over Barbourville in four innings Monday during first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament.
-
Knox Central puts up fight before losing to Middlesboro, 6-2
Middlesboro’s Nick Capps took care of business and managed to hold off Knox Central, 6-2, to advance to the second round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament Monday.
-
North runs win streak to 19 games
The North Laurel Lady Jaguars were clicking on all cylinders Monday during first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament as they defeated Corbin in five innings, 12-0.
-
Tigers drop 10-2 decision
Clay County was forced to put the ball on the ground, but once they did they were able to get going as they defeated Barbourville, 10-2, during the first round of the 13th Region Tournament Monday.
-
Who really are the favorites this year?
Corbin and North Laurel High Schools’ first round match-ups in both the 13th Region Baseball Tournament and 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament will highlight Monday’s first round action.
-
Fantastic Finish
Brandon Hillard’s Knox Central Panthers almost pulled off a shocker before falling to rival Barbourville, 7-6, in the finals of the 51st District title game Thursday.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
