Reed Sheppard, North Laurel one win away from making Sweet 16

After cruising to another postseason win on Saturday, North Laurel is now just one victory away from playing at Rupp Arena in the UK Healthcare Boy’s Sweet 16 Tournament.

Led by Kentucky Wildcat class of 2023 commit Reed Sheppard, the North Laurel Jaguars had no problem moving past Bell County during semifinal action of the 13th Region Tournament. The 6-foot-3 junior guard, who is considered one of the top 25 recruits in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, poured in an impressive 36 points on Saturday as North Laurel advanced behind a 69-40 win.

Sheppard shot 13-16 overall from the field, including a perfect 3-3 clip from distance and a clean 9-9 mark from the free-throw line. He added three rebounds, five assists, three blocks, three steals, and three turnovers to his statline in what was North Laurel’s sixth consecutive win. From the opening tip, Bell County had little chance of staying in front of Sheppard — and he knew it.

💪 @reed_sheppard pic.twitter.com/noQcuUXNIE

— caleb (@calebshotthat) March 5, 2022

Joining Sheppard with double-digit scoring numbers for North Laurel was his cousin, forward Ryan Davidson, who added 19 points and 11 rebounds. North Laurel shot over 63 percent from the field and 6-11 from beyond the arc while holding Bell County to just 37.5 percent shooting.

Sheppard and North Laurel have seen a relatively easy path to the 13th Region championship game, but that’s about to change with a chance to advance to Rupp Arena on the line. North Laurel will have to take down Knox Central first — which smacked South Laurel 68-38 in its semifinals matchup on Saturday — to make a run at the state title. The two schools are ranked as the top two in the 13th Region and produced a thrilling barnburner in their only meeting of the season so far.

North Laurel managed to sneak out of Knox Central with a 90-86 victory back on Feb. 15 behind 37 points from Sheppard, which kickstarted the Jaguars’ current win streak. KSR readers might be familiar with one of the players from Knox Central, Gavin Chadwell, a 6-foot-4 sophomore who has already received an offer from Kentucky Football to play tight end. He averages 13.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per outing.

But Knox Central also features fifth-year senior Jevonte Turner, who dropped 34 points in the first meeting against North Laurel and is the team’s current leading scorer. Additionally, senior power forward Isaac Mills contributes 15.8 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per outing.

Knox Central actually got the best of North Laurel in last year’s 13th Region championship, beating Sheppard’s team 78-63 before falling to Ashland Blazer in the opening round of the 2021 Boy’s Sweet 16.

Monday will be his shot at redemption. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST down in Corbin Arena. KSR will have boots on the ground to keep you covered.