Reed Sheppard impresses once again at White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic

Reed Sheppard and his No. 6 North Laurel squad just finished off a stretch of eight games in 12 days, running from Dec. 17 up in Louisville through Dec. 29 down in Lexington.

The Jaguars came away with a 6-2 record across two holiday tournaments, collecting second-place honors at the King of the Bluegrass tournament over a week ago. The most recent tournament finished up on Wednesday night, with North Laurel taking home a third-place finish at the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic. Sheppard earned MVP honors at King of the Bluegrass and played just as well over the last several days at Lexington Catholic.

North Laurel’s four-game stretch at the WGM Holiday Classic included bouts against two of the state’s best teams, another against a top 25 opponent, and the always-steady Trinity Shamrocks. Coming away with a 3-1 record was quite the accomplishment considering the limitations of the Jaguars lineup and the quick turnaround.

“We got the dub. We were all very tired. It was our eighth game in like 10 days,” Sheppard said after the tournament concluded on Wednesday. “These are two great tournaments that we’ve been playing in, finish 6-2, so we were very happy with how we ended up. Any time you can come out like that–fourth game in a row, fourth game in four days, come out and get the dub–that’s all we can ask for.”

Sheppard was the clear star once again for North Laurel–and the entire tournament, really. Now a Kentucky Wildcat commit, fans showed up in droves at Lex Cath to watch the state’s most interesting prospect. During the semifinal matchup against No. 3 George Rogers Clark, UK head coach John Calipari, assistant Orlando Antigua, and half of the current roster showed up to watch Sheppard play. Every game for him is turning into a spectacle.

Calipari and Antigua here watching Reed Sheppard.

Half the team is here too. All masked up, for anyone wondering. pic.twitter.com/BRNOEon4e5

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) December 29, 2021

And it’s easy to understand why. No matter which recruiting service you use, Sheppard is a top 25 junior in the country. He’s a legit 5-star talent. In four games at the WGM Holiday Classic, the 6-foot-3 guard played eerily similar to the same player who dominated in Louisville the week prior.

Let’s compare some stats:

King of the Bluegrass per game averages (Dec. 17-21)
29.8 points, 8.3 assists, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 6.3 steals, and 6.5 turnovers on a shooting split of 56.2/34.8/87.9.

WGM Holiday Classic per game averages (Dec. 26-29)
29.3 points, 5.8 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 3.8 steals, and 5.0 turnovers on a shooting split of 53.4/36.7/87.5.

The shooting numbers are frighteningly close. This is all coming on an insane usage rate where Sheppard controls the vast majority of the possessions, particularly in the second half of close games. His assist numbers dropped a bit from the first tournament to the second, but so did his turnovers.

Had he not been forced to explode for a 50-burger in the second-round matchup against Pleasure Ridge Park at the WGM Holiday Classic (where he tacked on just three dimes), the assist/turnover ratio would have been higher.

That 50-point outing was easily his most impressive of the WGM Holiday Classic, too. Sheppard poured in half of North Laurel’s 100 points, playing all 36 minutes of action, including the four additional overtime minutes. In reality, the Jaguars shouldn’t have been able to force an extra period at all. With Sheppard heating up on offense, Pleasure Ridge Park missed a handful of free throws and was forced into multiple miscues that kept North Laurel alive. But Sheppard found a way to power his squad into the semifinals.

Despite falling to George Rogers Clark (which won the whole tournament over perceived favorite Ballard) in that final four matchup, Sheppard was masterful once again. The talent possessed by GRC was a clear mismatch for the Jaguars, but that didn’t stop the best player on the floor from imposing his will. Sheppard closed with 25 points, six assists, and 10 rebounds against the Cardinals.

His third-place outing against No. 3 Lexington Catholic was just as impressive. Sheppard went for 26 points on 8-12 shooting in addition to a personal tournament-high eight assists, four rebounds, three blocks, and four steals. North Laurel managed to fend off the Knights by a final count of 81-78 as Sheppard put the Jags on his back down the stretch.

Not even some mid-game cramping after so many rounds could keep him from sealing one last victory.

“You just got to stay together mentally, because physically you’re exhausted,” Sheppard said after beating Lexington Catholic. “So you can’t let that get to you mentally. If it gets to you mentally, you’re kinda done. So you just gotta stay together mentally and come together as a team stronger than you ever have. Because this is what it’s like playing in the state tournament.”

North Laurel will head into 2022 with a 10-3 record, with two of three losses coming against a pair of top-three opponents. Sheppard has been playing like a five-star recruit in all 13 outings. He’s up to 26.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on a shooting split of 55.3/38.8/89.5.

The schedule doesn’t get much easier either for the Jags, though. No. 1 Ballard will face off against No. 6 North Laurel on Jan. 8. Putting Reed Sheppard aside, Kentucky High School basketball is in terrific shape right now.