By Kevin Marlow / For the Times-Tribune
The North Laurel Jaguars took the floor against top-ranked Trinity Shamrocks looking to pull off one of the biggest upsets in school history. Despite intense defense and lots of hustle throughout the game, the Jaguars fell short in that attempt with a 63-32 loss at home.
The Shamrocks jumped on North Laurel early by starting the game with a 17-0 run that saw five different players enter the scoring column. The Jaguars missed several open shots en route to a chilly 20 percent shooting from the floor.
The Jaguars were without a field goal until the 1:14 mark in the first frame when forward Adrian Wardrup made a runner in the lane. The first quarter ended with the score, 17-2, in favor of Trinity.
“You can't shoot 20 percent against a team as good as they are,” North Laurel coach Jim Conway said. "We just missed way too many open shots tonight.”
Wardrup and forward Cody Likins stepped up big in the second quarter scoring five points each as North Laurel attempted to keep the game close. Mr. Basketball candidate Josh Sewell of Trinity poured in five points as the Shamrocks extended their lead to 37-17 over the home team.
“We tried to keep the game as close as possible to try and give our team some confidence,” Conway said. “They just kind of took the wind out of our sails out there tonight.”
The third quarter saw the Jaguars give the Shamrocks another large dose of Waldrup as he chipped in eight out of the nine North Laurel points for the quarter.
Trinity responded with another balanced effort from their players that once again saw five different players score for the Shamrocks. The Jaguars trailed 52-26 at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter saw both teams go to their bench for most of the quarter. North Laurel’s Ethan Eversole came into the game to convert four big free throws in the one-and-one situation to lead the Jaguars in scoring with four points.
Trinity, however, managed to chip in 11 more points to finish the game with a 63-32 victory. The Shamrocks improved their record to 21-2 and will retain their No. 1 state ranking.
“We really tried to challenge our players this week to be prepared for this game,” Conway said. “This game just reiterates what we've been talking about all week and it will make us better for this weekend.”
The North Laurel Jaguars will play another state powerhouse when they meet Shelby Valley on Saturday.
“Shelby Valley does a lot of the same things that Trinity does,” Conway. “We will try to take something good from this game and work a lot harder tomorrow.”
North Laurel 32, Trinity 63
Trinity 17 20 15 11 63
North Laurel 2 15 9 6 32
North Laurel (32) - Wardrup 15, Cheek 3, Shears 3, Likins 4, Spencer 2.
Trinity (63) - Corbett 10, Netherton 3, Foster 9, Quick 5, Zipperle 2, Perito 2, Dieudonne 6, Sewell 12, Armstrong 8, Epley 6.
