MCKEE—Teams enter games with several goals in mind. They are often written on a board as a reminder. North Laurel had three goals entering Wednesday’s 49th District semifinal game with Red Bird.

The first goal was obvious, win and advance to the championship game. North Laurel did that easily with a 103-53 win.

The second goal was to get everybody playing time. Turns out the only players that didn’t get a lot of playing time were the starters. The starting five played less than seven minutes and did not see action in the second half. All 15 players played and all 15 players scored. Ryan Shears came off the bench to lead North Laurel with 17 points and seven rebounds to earn Player of the Game. The second-leading scorer was another reserve, Ethan Eversole, who scored 16 points with three three-pointers. Shears and Eversole are both sophomores.

“That sophomore group is really good and Marcus (Carson) is just a freshman. The future looks good,” North Laurel coach Jim Conway said.

Carson recorded nine assists with seven steals. Another sophomore, Taylor Bowling, made a pair of three-pointers. But the biggest cheers came when Austin Rush hit a free throw to send the score over the 100-point mark for just the second time this season. The first was an overtime win over Knox Central.

The third goal was also met. Finish the game without any injuries.

The immediate future for North Laurel is a showdown with Clay County tonight for the 49th District title.

“We’re glad we get a chance for a rematch,” Conway said.

The first meeting, Jan. 14 at Clay County, was a 62-59 overtime win for the Tigers. Raymond Shears did not play in that game.

Three points is the same margin Clay County beat the Jaguars in last year’s district final at Oneida Baptist. Clay County also knocked North Laurel out of the district tournament in the first round in 2008.

“Whoever plays the best defense and wins the rebounding war is going to win the game,” Conway said.

Defense allowed North Laurel to dominate Red Bird from the outset, even when the offense was not hitting. North Laurel missed 18 shots in the first quarter and still led 24 points. The eight shots that North Laurel did make were as many as Red Bird attempted. The Cardinals turned the ball over 11 times in the first quarter and 21 times by halftime. The North Laurel defense had them so rattled they sometimes threw the pass away before the trap reached them.

Just over five minutes into the game, North Laurel led 19-5. That allowed Conway to start working on one of the goals right away and send in five new players. Even with the bench emptied, North Laurel did not turn the ball over in the first half, and just four times for the game.

Shooting and rebounding both actually improved with the starters resting. The Jaguars shot 47 percent for the game and nearly as well from three-point range. North Laurel made 12-of-28 three-pointers. Adrian Wardrup and Chris Cheek were both perfect on two attempts.

Other numbers that stood out for the Jaguars were 19 assists and forcing 18 turnovers.

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



49th District Tournament

at Jackson County

North Laurel 103, Red Bird 53

North Laurel 33 28 22 20—103

Red Bird 9 13 21 10—53

NORTH LAUREL (103)—Wardrup 12, Cheek 13, Baker 2, Raymond Shears 7, Creech 4, Likins 11, Jones 3, Carson 6, Spencer 2, Ryan Shears 17, Lewis 1, Eversole 16, Harris 2, Bowling 6, Rush 1.

RED BIRD (53)—Sizemore 17, Young 11, Jackson 10, Collett 3, Nantz 4, Jackson 6.