CORBIN —
By John Stepp / The Times-Tribune
SOUTH LAUREL — South Laurel's Zac Baxter proved why he is one of the best sophomores in the 13th Region Friday night when he led his Cardinals to a 62-53 win over the cross-town rival North Laurel Jaguars. Baxter scored 24 points on the night, with 19 coming in the second half.
South Laurel coach Jeff Davis credited Baxter, but said many others stepped up in order to take down North Laurel.
"That's a credit to North Laurel. They did a great job taking Baxter away in the first half, but then we had people step up. Austin Schaser hit two or three jump shots. Trevor Grubb hit some big shots. It changed the way they had to play," said Davis.
North Laurel started the game off hot. Jaguar big man Jake Allen scored nine straight points midway through the opening quarter to give his team an early 9-5 lead. South Laurel bounced back with a three-point basket by Grubb and a putback by guard Matt Slavey to keep the Cardinals afloat, tying the game at 13 after one.
Early foul trouble hampered the Jaguars in the second quarter, as Allen picked up his second foul and sat out the remainder of the first half. South Laurel outscored the Jaguars 20-9 after Allen left the game, limiting them to just three field goals in the second quarter. At halftime, the Cardinals held a 28-19 advantage.
“We started off really hot and were doing exactly what we were wanting to and Allen misses a shot and picks up a couple fouls and it completely changed the course of the game,” said North Laurel Coach Brad Sizemore.
The Jaguars looked to battle back to open the third quarter. A quick basket by Allen and back-to-back scores by guard Kendrick Henson helped cut the South Laurel lead to 30-27 just two minutes into the second half. That's when the duo of the Cardinals 2-2-1 press and the scoring of Baxter took the game over.
Baxter scored 10 points in the third quarter and South Laurel forced several bad shots and turnovers from the Jaguars, resulting in a 47-36 lead after three.
The Cardinals didn't let up in the final quarter. Baxter scored nine points in the quarter, including seven from the free throw line. North Laurel could not cut into the South Laurel lead as the Cardinals defensive pressure was just too much, leading to a 62-53 win.
Despite the victory over the rival Jaguars, Davis said his team's biggest accomplishment of the night was playing up to their capabilities for four quarters, which was something the Cardinals had struggled with thus far this season.
“It’s a big win for us, not because of who we beat, but because of what we did. We’ve played some tough competition this year, and we have played two good quarters or three good quarters, but we haven’t finished a game,” said Davis. “To come in here and finish the game with the lead, that is what our kids needed. They needed the confidence to finish and to learn how to finish the game. That was huge for us.”
South Laurel 62, North Laurel 53
South Laurel 13 15 19 15 - 62
North Laurel 13 6 17 17 - 53
South Laurel (62) - Baxter 24, Grubb 12, Slavey 9, Schaser 5, Austin Rader 5, Brennan Miller 3, Zach Jones 2, John Helton 2
North Laurel (53) - Allen 18, Henson 10, Marcus Carson 6, Peyton Broughton 6, Austin Rush 5, Austin Thompson 5, Elijah Jervis 3
Local Sports
South stuns Jags
- Local Sports
-
-
A No-Brainer
For the third straight year, the Times-Tribune Tri-County Baseball Player of the Year hails from North Laurel High School.
-
Back to Work
As of Monday, Brian Evans is now the new, and old, coach of the Knox Central Panthers basketball team.
-
It was good to watch some Little League games again
With so much going on the past few weeks I’ve been a little bit busy, which means there’s plenty rattling around in my head to ramble on about, but the first thing that comes to mind is Little League baseball.
-
Canady to lead KC athletics
The Knox Central High School athletics department is under new leadership as Jeff Canady was named Athletic Director on Monday.
-
Local Little League All-Star rosters released
With the Little League regular season out of the way, it will soon be time for All-Star Tournaments across the area. Local leagues have released their rosters as they start to get ready for action in the coming weeks.
-
Good Times
The Corbin Little League baseball tournaments came to an end this weekend with a trio of championship games on the menu.
-
Along Came Jones
The Whitley County Lady Colonels underwent a coaching change at the end of the 2012-13 season, but it wasn't a complete overhaul of the system which has been in place for years.
-
Boys’ and girls’ All-Star tourney bracket schedule
Little League All-Star action begins next weekend with the girls starting with the 9-10 year-old and 11-12 year-old divisions while boys action will begin a couple of days later.
-
The Search is On
Former Lynn Camp Wildcat basketball coach and current Lynn Camp assistant principal, Anthony Pennington, has taken the bull by the horns, so to speak, and is ready to find a new replacement for former coach Clyde Dixon, who retired a couple of weeks ago.
-
The Final Four
The stage is set for today’s championship double-header as the Corbin Little League will decide its Little League and Minor League Tournament champions.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Raw: Car Jumps Curb in NYC, Injures 8
Obama: 'Lives Have Been Saved' by NSA Programs
Obama: Friction in Afghan Talks No Surprise
Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska
Raw: Massive Protests Fill Brazilian Streets
Raw: German President Welcomes President Obama
Fans Cheer Dramatic Heat Comeback
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades
Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter
Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies
