Montgomery County withstands 41-point effort from North Laurel star to reach Sweet 16 semis

It was perhaps more harrowing than it should’ve been at the end, but Montgomery County would not be denied a berth to the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 semifinals.

Cayden Reed on North Laurel’s final possession stole the ball from junior Reece Davidson, who ignited for 41 points against the Indians, to seal a 69-66 quarterfinal victory Friday night in Rupp Arena.

A steal and dunk by Tyce Jarvis put Montgomery County up eight points with under three minutes left, not long after the Indians (24-10) snuffed out a North Laurel rally that cut their lead to two. Reed hit a free throw to put their lead at six with 33 seconds to play, and then stole the ball on North Laurel’s ensuing possession.

Cooper Elza got it back for the Jaguars and dished to Davidson, who hit a long 3-pointer to get them within 67-64. Montgomery then used two of its three remaining timeouts in a bid for a clean inbound only to turn it over out of the second timeout; Davidson came up with the ball and scored from underneath the basket.

Reed made two free throws on the other end. Davidson got the ball to the right wing on Montgomery’s side of the court but Reed poked the ball away and thrust it ahead to run out the horn.

“We just had to hang on till the end,” Montgomery County head coach Jason Mays said. “We had to make Reece either not get the ball or miss shots there in the third and fourth quarter.”

Jarvis, a sophomore who led Montgomery County in scoring until Reed was eligible to play in late January, finished with 14 points, all in the second half. He scored 11 in the third quarter as part of an 18-5 run that gave the Indians an eight-point lead late in the frame.

He missed all five of his shots in the first half but finished 6-for-13 from the floor. Jarvis also blocked two shots.

“I didn’t have to say much to him, he knew I was on his rear end — probably too much to be honest with you — during the first half,” Mays said. “I probably got too emotional with him. … He responded like a champion and I’m really proud of him because a year ago he would have not had that response.”

North Laurel shot better from the floor than the Indians — 60.9 percent (28-of-46) to 42.9 percent (24-of-56) — but the latter made six more 3-pointers (10 of 25 vs. 4 of 11). Jaguars head coach Nate Valentine pointed to the turnover margin — his team had 19 to Montgomery’s nine — as the biggest contributor to their downfall.

“I don’t think that we played anybody all year that pressured the ball the way they did,” Valentine said. “ … You can’t turn the ball over 19 times in the state tournament and have a chance to win. But I’m super proud of these guys and the fight they had.”

A 6-for-12 clip at the free-throw line didn’t help the Jaguars (23-11). Montgomery County was 11-of-13.

Reed, a senior who had a team-high 29 points, six assists and five steals, was perfect in eight trips to the stripe.

“When I was younger, like a freshman, sophomore, I never made ’em,” Reed said. “This summer I took time to shoot free throws a lot and just breathe, stay focused on what’s there and just knock ’em down.”

Mays’ return to Saturday

Montgomery County has played in the state semifinals just one other time: 2013, also the last time it qualified for the Sweet 16. The Indians fell to Ballard 59-55.

Their skipper has been more recently. From 2019-2022 he guided Ashland Blazer to four straight 16th Region championships, a run that included an appearance in the 2021 semifinals.

Ashland Blazer relieved Mays as its boys basketball coach ahead of the 2022-23 season after it self-reported a possible recruiting violation. He took the reins at Montgomery County ahead of the 2023-24 season. Before this season, the Indians hadn’t played in the 10th Region Tournament since 2021.

“I am enjoying looking at this experience through the lens of the way the kids look at it,” Mays said. “If I looked at this through the lens of ‘I’ve been here before,’ that’s arrogance and pride. If I look at it through the lens of, ‘Ah ha, I told you so, this is vengeance,’ that’s arrogance and pride, and that’ll come back and bite me in the butt.

“By looking at this through their eyes, it’s much more innocent and gratifying. At the end of the day it’s about forgiveness. It’s in the past. It was rough. I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Mays pointed to his wife, Lori Beth, who was going through a battle with breast cancer when he was let go at Ashland. She’s now cancer-free.

“I don’t think we’d have the strength and the resolve that we have now if it wasn’t for those moments,” Mays said. “This is all about Montgomery County and enjoying it with these kids. That’s the healthiest way for me to approach this.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 9:54 PM.