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LEXINGTON — Reece Davidson capped a monster game by hitting a pair of free throws with 4.6 seconds left to give North Laurel a 54-53 victory over Breathitt County in the UK Healthcare KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 on Thursday.
The 6-foot-8 junior scored 36 points on 13 for 24 shooting to give the Jaguars (23-10) their first state tournament win in the school's history. Davidson added nine rebounds and four steals, with the last one coming on an inbounds play by the Bobcats (24-9) with 2.9 seconds remaining to end the contest.
“Just, from the tip, I was just like, I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” said Davidson, who entered the Sweet 16 averaging 20.6 points per game. “So when I saw (an) open shot, I took it. Then, thankfully, my teammates had confidence in me and kept giving me the ball.”
Austin Sperry led the Bobcats with 22 points on 9 for 12 shooting, but the 6-foot-4 guard who signed with IU Indianapolis fouled out on the play that led to Davidson putting the Jaguars ahead for good.
Davidson was just 4 for 8 from the free-throw line before sinking his final two attempts. He admitted to being nervous before lining up for his final two from the stripe.
North Laurel led 30-22 in the final minute of the first half thanks to going 7 for 9 (77.8%) in the second quarter. The team shot 46.5% (20 for 43) but committed just two turnovers, while the Bobcats gave the ball away a dozen times.Thursday’s first-round game featured 17 lead changes. Sperry hit a 3-pointer with 2:22 left to make it 53-51 Bobcats.
“It’s one of those games that if you watch it, it’s great as a fan, but for the coach or the players that lose, it’s devastating, especially on this stage.”
Jaguars coach Nate Valentine said his team was ready for a close game after losing three straight earlier in the season. His team held the lead in the final minute in all three games. He attributed his team’s ball security to the hard work the players put in after winning the 13th Region 17 days earlier.
“They probably were miserable there for a couple weeks, but, I mean, we went hard,” he said. “The last few times we came here, I felt like we weren’t prepared because we were a little too easy just trying to get the horse in the race. But this year, these guys grinded for 17 days, and they were ready to play today.”
The Jaguars will play the winner of Lawrence County-Montgomery County in a Friday evening quarterfinal.
This story will be updated to include additional results from today's games.
Wednesday
11 a.m. – Bowling Green 52, Adair County 51 (OT)
1:30 p.m. – Jeffersontown 64, St. Xavier 59
6 p.m. – South Oldham 67, Danville Christian 44
8:30 p.m. – Ashland Blazer 81, Calloway County 64
Thursday
11 a.m. – North Laurel 54, Breathitt County 53
1:30 p.m. – Montgomery County (22-10) vs. Lawrence County (23-10)
6 p.m. – Great Crossing (31-4) vs. Daviess County (25-6)
8:30 p.m. – Cooper (23-5) vs. Henderson County (25-6)
Friday
11 a.m. – Ashland Blazer (24-7) vs. Bowling Green (29-6)
1:30 p.m. – South Oldham (30-5) vs. Jeffersontown (27-6)
6 p.m. – Breathitt County-North Laurel winner vs. Montgomery County-Lawrence County winner
8:30 p.m. – Great Crossing-Daviess County winner vs. Cooper-Henderson County winner
Saturday
11 a.m. – Semifinal No. 1
1:30 p.m. – Semifinal No. 2
7:30 p.m. – Championship
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Sweet 16 2025: Kentucky high school basketball state tournament
Continue reading...
The 6-foot-8 junior scored 36 points on 13 for 24 shooting to give the Jaguars (23-10) their first state tournament win in the school's history. Davidson added nine rebounds and four steals, with the last one coming on an inbounds play by the Bobcats (24-9) with 2.9 seconds remaining to end the contest.
“Just, from the tip, I was just like, I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” said Davidson, who entered the Sweet 16 averaging 20.6 points per game. “So when I saw (an) open shot, I took it. Then, thankfully, my teammates had confidence in me and kept giving me the ball.”
Austin Sperry led the Bobcats with 22 points on 9 for 12 shooting, but the 6-foot-4 guard who signed with IU Indianapolis fouled out on the play that led to Davidson putting the Jaguars ahead for good.
Davidson was just 4 for 8 from the free-throw line before sinking his final two attempts. He admitted to being nervous before lining up for his final two from the stripe.
North Laurel led 30-22 in the final minute of the first half thanks to going 7 for 9 (77.8%) in the second quarter. The team shot 46.5% (20 for 43) but committed just two turnovers, while the Bobcats gave the ball away a dozen times.Thursday’s first-round game featured 17 lead changes. Sperry hit a 3-pointer with 2:22 left to make it 53-51 Bobcats.
“It’s one of those games that if you watch it, it’s great as a fan, but for the coach or the players that lose, it’s devastating, especially on this stage.”
Jaguars coach Nate Valentine said his team was ready for a close game after losing three straight earlier in the season. His team held the lead in the final minute in all three games. He attributed his team’s ball security to the hard work the players put in after winning the 13th Region 17 days earlier.
“They probably were miserable there for a couple weeks, but, I mean, we went hard,” he said. “The last few times we came here, I felt like we weren’t prepared because we were a little too easy just trying to get the horse in the race. But this year, these guys grinded for 17 days, and they were ready to play today.”
The Jaguars will play the winner of Lawrence County-Montgomery County in a Friday evening quarterfinal.
This story will be updated to include additional results from today's games.
KHSAA Sweet 16 schedule, scores
Wednesday
11 a.m. – Bowling Green 52, Adair County 51 (OT)
1:30 p.m. – Jeffersontown 64, St. Xavier 59
6 p.m. – South Oldham 67, Danville Christian 44
8:30 p.m. – Ashland Blazer 81, Calloway County 64
Thursday
11 a.m. – North Laurel 54, Breathitt County 53
1:30 p.m. – Montgomery County (22-10) vs. Lawrence County (23-10)
6 p.m. – Great Crossing (31-4) vs. Daviess County (25-6)
8:30 p.m. – Cooper (23-5) vs. Henderson County (25-6)
Friday
11 a.m. – Ashland Blazer (24-7) vs. Bowling Green (29-6)
1:30 p.m. – South Oldham (30-5) vs. Jeffersontown (27-6)
6 p.m. – Breathitt County-North Laurel winner vs. Montgomery County-Lawrence County winner
8:30 p.m. – Great Crossing-Daviess County winner vs. Cooper-Henderson County winner
Saturday
11 a.m. – Semifinal No. 1
1:30 p.m. – Semifinal No. 2
7:30 p.m. – Championship
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Sweet 16 2025: Kentucky high school basketball state tournament
Continue reading...
