Final from Jackson County. Cantrall ratings had these two teams neck in neck. Looks like the Lady Jags may have turned the corner.

North Laurel is a very underrated team, they could make some noise in the 13th region!

North Laurel is a very underrated team, they could make some noise in the 13th region!

 

I talked with a relative of one of the top coaches in the 13th and his comments were that with nearly everyone back that North could be the darkhorse in the region this year. The sad part is that thanks to 3 teams which always vote for the blind draw (Redbird, OBI and Jackson Co) that Clay and North, ... the 2 best teams in the district, could draw each other in the first game and one of them might not make the region. That is just sad. I really believe the KHSAA ought to do away with anyone being able to use the blind draw for postseason play.

North laurel didn't mind the blind draw too bad last year when they drew OBI. Jackson County played very poorly but they are very capable of beating North Laurel. They missed a lot of wide open shots.

North laurel didn't mind the blind draw too bad last year when they drew OBI. Jackson County played very poorly but they are very capable of beating North Laurel. They missed a lot of wide open shots.

 

North Laurel doesn't vote for the blind draw. Clay and North both vote for seeding every year, and the other 3 (OBI, Redbird & Jackson County) vote for the blind draw. They may have had a good draw last year, but they didn't vote for it even though it gave them a much easier seed and almost an automatic path to the region. I didn't like it then and don't like it now. We are already letting every team in the postseason in every sport but football, so at least reward the teams who have a good season with a seed that they earned. I have seen in this and other sports when the 2 best teams in the district draw each other and meaning only 1 of them gets to go to the region. How many times did this happen to Perry Central and Hazard? I cannot stand the idea of just awarding a team with an automatic trip to the region over a team who deserves it more. The draw was not fair to Jackson County last year. They were the #2 team in the district, but drew Clay County in the opening round and that cost them a trip to the region. Had they been seeded, I think they would have gone to the region. Roy Bowling didn't win 4 state titles at Laurel County by having things handed to his teams. He wants them to earn it. Had Jackson County's AD done the right thing and voted for seeding (which would have been fair to both the girls and boys teams), they would have had a more fair hand to play. The Lady Jags played the hand that Jackson County dealt them.

 

As far as Jackson County, they do have a very good team and are absolutely capable of beating North Laurel. The Cantrall ratings had them at almost identical rankings. But North won that game fair and square. A 19 point victory was not handed to them. North missed some wide open shots as well.

 

It's a shame that North Laurel girls basketball is starting to turn the corner, and it really has peeved some people off who are used to beating them. I didn't see any excuses from South Laurel when North ended their 9 year streak of losing to the Cardinals last week.

 

With that being said, I believe that holding Tyra (one of the best players in the region IMHO) to such a low point total had a HUGE impact on the game.

Here's a little story on Bowling and North's success. It was in today's Times-Tribune sports section.

http://www.thetimestribune.com/sports/local_story_008104939.html?keyword=topstory