‘They just won’t die.’ North Laurel seals first Boys’ Sweet 16 win ever in closing seconds
With 28 seconds left in a game that could end its season, North Laurel looked cooked.
The 13th Region champs trailed Breathitt County 53-52 after junior standout Reece Davidson missed one of two free throw attempts in Thursday’s first-round opener of the 2025 UK Healthcare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.
The Jaguars needed to turn Breathitt County over quickly. They still had three fouls to give before one would send Breathitt to the free throw line. There was scarce time for that.
But North Laurel’s swarming defense forced a bad pass that fell into the lap of RJ Noble. The Jags had the ball with 11 seconds left.
Davidson drove into the lane and drew a fifth foul on Breathitt leading scorer Austin Sperry with 4.6 seconds to go. Davidson had missed four of his eight free throw attempts to that point. He knew he had to make them now.
“I was a little nervous,” he said. “Especially since I missed the one before.”
Davidson, who finished with a game-high 36 points, knocked down both and then stole an ensuing Breathitt inbounds pass to seal the 54-53 win. It marked the first boys state tournament win in the school’s 35-year history, quite a feat for a team who boasted Mr. Kentucky Basketball Reed Sheppard a couple of years ago.
“These guys keep fighting. That’s what they’ve done all year. Somebody said in an interview last week ‘North Laurel, they just won’t die,’” Jaguars coach Nate Valentine said, smiling. “Two overtime games to get here and we have to score in the last 10 seconds and get a stop there. I’ll go to war with these guys any day.”
Davidson’s clutch plays at the end capped a back-and-forth contest that included 17 lead changes and eight ties. Breathitt faced a 30-24 halftime deficit, but raced to a 34-32 lead early in the third quarter with a 10-2 run punctuated by a Joseph Honeycutt 3-pointer.
Though Davidson later got a steal and dunk to put North Laurel up 39-34 with 3:28 left in the third, Breathitt battled back, thanks in large part to Sperry and forward Braxton Terry, who led the Bobcats with 22 and 14 points, respectively.
“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,” Breathitt coach Jeff Honeycutt said. “I’m proud of my guys. We’ve been doubted all year long, and we fought, and we’ve got grit.”
Sperry went 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Both of Sperry’s second half 3-pointers put the Bobcats into the lead, the last a quick-trigger shot from straight away that put Breathitt up 53-51 with 55.6 seconds left. Valentine noted the Indiana University-Indianapolis signee had only made about 25 percent of his 3s on the season.
“He’s a big-lights player. That dude’s phenomenal,” Valentine said. “He’s going to be really good at the next level.”
Davidson, the younger brother of 2023 alumnus Ryan Davidson and a cousin of Sheppard, had a fair game himself, notching nine rebounds, three assists and four steals to go with his 36 points. Sophomore guard Cooper Elza scored the next most points with nine.
“From the tip, I was just like, ‘I want to do whatever it takes to win.’ So when I saw an open shot, I just took it,” Davidson said. “Thankfully, my teammates had confidence in me and kept giving me the ball.”
North Laurel will face Montgomery County in in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Friday.
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 4:47 PM.
