CORBIN — By Les Dixon / Sports Editor
North Laurel’s season came to a screeching halt as the resilient Harlan County Lady Black Bears ended the Lady Jaguars’ hopes of reaching the Sweet Sixteen by capturing a 44-41 win during semifinal action of the 13th Region Tournament.
North Laurel turned out to be its own worst enemy by connecting on only 12-of-31 shot attempts and 14-of-25 from the free-throw line.
“We never were in sync,” North Laurel coach Roy Bowling said. “I was scared to death after we had already beaten them twice this season and I tried to preach to them that we couldn’t overlook Harlan County.
“They just outhustled and outplayed us,” he added. “We just got beat.”
The last time North Laurel played Harlan County sophomore guard Tamara Crawford scored 22 points, but this time around, Harlan County coach Anthony Nolan made sure she wouldn’t hurt his team.
Crawford finished the game with only two points on zero-for-five shooting from the floor.
“The big thing is that defensively we played much better this time,” he said. “She scored 22 points against us last time and she’s such a good shooter, so we wanted to control her penetration.”
The lady Black Bears’ defense did more than just that. Neither Crawford or Cheyenne Madden could get anything going offensively. Madden also finished with only two points on one-of-five shooting.
“Cheyenne came into this game averaging close to 22 points the past couple of games,” Bowling said. “They did a good job on Tamara and Cheyenne.”
Neither team could take control in the first half, which led to a 21-all tie at halftime.
It looked as if the Lady Jaguars were going to take control of the game, as Ashley Woolum scored six straight points to give North Laurel a 33-26 lead with two minutes remaining, but a couple of three second calls and a 6-0 run by Harlan County allowed the Lady Black Bears to cut their deficit to 32-31 heading into the fourth quarter.
“I disagree with those three second calls, especially since (No. 44) camped out there all night,” Bowling said.
Harlan County’s Heather Maggard took over in the fourth quarter and she scored six of her game-high 22 points during the final eight minutes. Maggard turned in a perfect night from the floor, connecting on nine-of-nine shot attempts.
“Heather is such a clutch player,” Nolan said.
Bowling agreed.
“She is a good player, but she should have hit all of those shots, she was wide open,” he said. “We did a very poor job on her.”
North Laurel struggled shooting the ball in the fourth quarter (two-of-nine from the floor), which allowed Harlan County to pick up the three-point win.
Harlan County finished the game connecting on 17-of-31 shot attempts, but turned the ball over 21 times.
Woolum led the Lady Jaguars with 17 points, while Kelsie Smith finished with 13 points.
There is some good news for North Laurel fans, unlike in year’s past, Bowling has already decided his coaching future.
“I’ll be back (next year),” he said. “I hope they use this as a lesson and that we’ve learned we’ve got to be mentally ready every game.”
13th Region Tournament
Girls Semifinals at The Arena
Harlan County 44, North Laurel 41
North Laurel 7 14 12 8 41
Harlan Co. 7 14 11 12 44
North Laurel (41) - Crawford 2, Smith 13, Seidel 5, Woolum 17, Madden 2, Proffitt 2.
Harlan County (44) - Gilliam 3, Carroll 10, Parker 3, Maggard 22, Davenport 6.
Local Sports
Related Photos
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North Laurel's Rachel Seidel and Cheyenne Madden walk off the court crying after the Lady Jaguars were eliminated in the 13th Region Tournament by Harlan County, 44-41. Photo by Tim Branstetter
Discussion
March Sadness
Harlan County's post-season magic continues with win over North
- Local Sports
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Bell eliminates Knox Central
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Errors lead to Barbourville’s 15-0 loss to Harlan County
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Knox Central puts up fight before losing to Middlesboro, 6-2
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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.
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Tigers drop 10-2 decision
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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.
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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.
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