George Rogers Clark breezes past Perry County Central 77-36 in Sweet 16 opener
George Rogers Clark came up short of the state title in 2021 and didn’t even have the chance to compete in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So the Cardinals made sure to come out and make a statement to start the 2022 edition.
On Wednesday night, No. 1 GRC had little issue dismantling No. T-18 Perry County Central in the third game of the opening day at the 2022 UK HealthCare Boy’s Sweet 16, cruising to an easy 77-36 victory. The win pushes George Rogers Clark into the quarterfinals where they’ll await the winner of Wednesday’s nightcap between No. 6 North Laurel and No. 8 Pikeville.
This was just step one of the season-long dream for the Cardinals and head coach Josh Cook, one they’ve been envisioning for years now.
“If you want to play for a state championship, you better be talking about it. It’s not like you’re gonna luck into it,” Coach Cook said postgame. “From year’s past, I think I’ve always–coaches will talk like we want to take it one game at a time. That’s great, and I get that, it is one game at a time, but there has to be a big vision of what you truly want. If the kids aren’t dreaming about it you’re not going to get it.”
Junior guard Jerone Morton was the engine behind GRC’s dominance, coasting to a finishing stat line of 22 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks on 9-17 shooting. He was aided by another 20-point scorer in junior Sam Parrish, who gifted himself a birthday surprise with 20 points on 8-9 shooting, including a 4-5 clip from distance. The Cardinals were efficient all evening, shooting 55 percent from the field, 8-19 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line.
GRC was technically sound throughout but showcased on multiple occasions why this might be the most exciting high school team in the state. The Cardinals were constantly throwing down transition slams and high-flying alley-oops finishes.
“We’re having a lot of fun, as you can tell,” Parrish said.
Perry County Central put itself in a position to upset George Rogers Clark after the opening eight minutes, trailing by just four points as both sides were seeing who could push the pace faster. The two teams combined for 30 first-quarter shots as GRC led 16-12, but the speed would ultimately favor the Cardinals.
George Rogers Clark proceeded to outscore the Commodores 19-6 in the second quarter before winning the second half 42-18. The Cardinals created plenty of offense through elite defense, forcing Perry County Central into 19 turnovers that were converted into 25 points on the other end. GRC simply had the edge in all areas — shooting, playmaking, defense — and it quickly began to take over the game.
“The difference in the game for us was the first quarter, they were able to get some easier buckets, we got lazy a couple of times,” Coach Cook added. “I think a lot of that is the nerves part where we’re playing fullcourt ‘D’ and after the first four minutes, that second wind kinda gets in. But in the second and third I thought our debt paid off and our guys did a much better job defensively.”
Junior forward Trent Edwards was the third and final Cardinals player to hit double-digits, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, and four blocks. GRC is powered by Morton, but Edwards might just be the team’s X-Factor moving forward the rest of the weekend.
“A lot of times people will ask what’s the one guy that can separate us, when Trent’s got a motor, Trent changes the game completely.” Coach Cook said of Edwards. “We want him contesting shots around the floor, early on in the game he steps in and shoots a three. He’s really skilled.”
George Rogers Clark will have another night to dream of a state title before taking the Rupp Arena floor once again on Friday at 1:30 p.m. EST.
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