Overtime unkind to North

Jaguars remain winless with 70-62 loss to Rockcastle Co.

By Mitch Howard

When Raymond Shears three-pointer ripped through the net with 28 seconds remaining, the burden North Laurel has carried for six games eased a little. Shears’ shot gave North Laurel (0-6) a 57-55 lead over Rockcastle County, seconds away from its first win. But the win didn’t come and the burden got a little heavier. North Laurel coach Jim Conway thinks the weight of losing is affecting the team.

“I think it is. Losing that many games in a row, especially when you’re expecting to have a good season,” Conway said.

Rockcastle County (3-2) forced overtime with Jamie Todd’s baseline drive with five seconds and won, 70-62.

“As frustrated as I am, you can probably double it for the players,” Conway said. “It’s a long season . We can’t get caught up in what our record is.”

Conway said he felt confident going into the overtime period of this see-saw game. There had been nine lead changes and six ties before the overtime. North Laurel scored first in overtime when Landon Jones set up Adrian Wardrup inside. Then it became a game of almosts. Wardrup almost made a steal, but Dustin Reynolds recovered for a go-ahead three-pointer. Wardrup almost made a reverse layup, but the ball hung for a moment on the rim before deciding not to fall. After a three-point play by the Rockets, Shears almost made another three-pointer. The Rockets scored 11 unanswered points in overtime.

“We never could seize the momentum. We would get the momentum, but we never could take advantage of it,” Conway said.

Despite the momentum of a go-ahead basket leading into overtime, Rockcastle County coach Benny Blanton didn’t feel overly confident going into the extra period.

“I didn’t feel very good the whole game to be honest with you. They put a lot of pressure on the ball. I’ve watched them a couple of times and they’ve come back on just about everybody they’ve played,” he said.

This game had a lot of similarities to every other game. Most notably the shots would not fall for the Jaguars against a Rockcastle County zone. North Laurel made 5-of-29 three-point attempts. Opponents have chosen to play zone almost exclusively against the Jaguars.

“The way we’ve been shooting the ball, who wouldn’t? They’re just going to sit in it and say, “Please bomb away,’” Conway said.

Conway didn’t have a problem with most of the shots his team chose. They were open looks that go down with regularity in practice. The goal seems to get smaller in games.

North Laurel also struggled to get rebounds in a first quarter that saw Rockcastle County open a nine-point lead. The Jaguars were outrebounded 12-4 in the first quarter as almost half of the Rockets points came on offensive rebounds. Actually, they were outrebounded by Derrick Thacker alone. Thacker had seven rebounds in the first quarter. The Jaguars did improve that stat and were only outrebounded 41-36 for the game.

North Laurel took its first lead at 23-22 when Shears stole a rebound from a Rockcastle County player and laid it in. The teams traded leads the rest of the half and went to the break tied at 32-32. The Jaguars led the entire third quarter, with their largest lead at four points. But the momentum would begin to swing in the final second. After a three-point play by Wardrup with 6.2 seconds, the Rockets pushed the ball quickly for a layup by Travis Carpenter at the buzzer. Carpenter’s shot started a 7-0 run into the fourth quarter.

A little frustration showed as the fouls became harder and a few words were exchanged. Again probably products of a losing streak. The Jaguars would recover.

“It just kind of took care of itself. We have a senior-laden bunch that has been through these battles before,” Conway said.

The Jaguars were down four when Chris Cheek juked his way open in the lane. A diving steal by Wardrup led to another score for Cheek. North Laurel would not take another lead until Shears late three-pointer.

Rockcastle County called a timeout after Shears’ go-ahead basket, and tried to isolate someone for the final shot. Jamie Todd did find a gap on the baseline and drove for the layup that tied the game.

“Fortunately our guard just took it to the basket because the guy we wanted one-on-one wasn’t open. (Todd) just made the decision to take it to the basket. It was a good individual play,” Blanton said. “They’re a pretty good basketball team, and we’re just lucky to get out of here with a win.”

North Laurel played without Dustin Baker, who will be out until Jan. 4 with a sprained ankle. Shears also turned an ankle in practice and was not 100 percent. Wardrup was on crutches last week with a sprain. Brody Creech limped off the court late against Rockcastle County after coming down wrong. Conway said he is proud of the way his team is battling through injuries.

The Jaguars will play Williamsburg Saturday in the Hoopin’ it Up Holiday Classic. Conway hasn’t seen the Yellow Jackets (2-3) yet, but plans on scouting their game this week against Barbourville.

Mitch Howard can be reached at mhoward@sentinel-echo.com.

Rockcastle Co. 70, North Laurel 62 (OT)

Rockcastle 18 14 11 14 13—70

N. Laurel 14 18 12 13 5—62

ROCKCASTLE COUNTY (70)—Bullens 18, Reynolds 12, Todd 9, Lunsford 10, Thacker 10, Carpenter 10.

NORTH LAUREL (62)—Cheek 8, Shears 14, Wardrup 24, Likins 3, Carson 2, Jones 4, Eversole 3.

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