George Rogers Clark Uses Hot Shooting to Edge Lyon County in Sweet 16 Quarterfinals
The No. 5 George Rogers Clark Cardinals defeated the No. 4 Lyon County Lyons 60-56 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena.
The Cardinals used hot shooting from deep (12-of-24) to move on to the semifinals. Reshaun Hampton, who struggled shooting at Rupp Arena last year, was 4-for-8 from deep and finished with 12 points for GRC.
“It is very satisfying,” Hampton said about the shooting spark. “Last year I had a rough shooting tournament. This year I feel good.”
Mr. Basketball candidate Jerone Morton stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 assists, and three steals for the Cardinals. Teammate Sam Parrish finished with 15 points, including two free throws with nine seconds left to ice the game.
“That was a special game,” George Rogers Clark head coach Josh Cook said. “You saw special players step up in the right moments.”
Trailing 51-50 following a Lyon County surge early in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals switched up their defense and ramped up the pressure to change the game.
“We played man about 85 to 90 percent of that time and then threw a little half-court trap and our guys are really good at it,” Cook said. “It’s something we used at certain times in certain situations.”
After a steal, Morton penetrated and found Trent Edwards in transition for an inside basket with five minutes remaining. Then, Tyleik Maxwell got a transition layup to put GRC up 54-51. With the Lyons having gone cold, Morton and Edwards each cashed in two free throws to extend the lead to seven.
Brady Shoulders’ bucket in the paint for Lyon County with 2:14 left cut the lead to 58-53. The Lyons had several open looks from deep to cut it to one possession but couldn’t convert until late. Trailing by five, the Lyons called a timeout with 30 seconds remaining. They missed a couple of shots but kept the possession alive which led to a Travis Perry 3-pointer with just nine seconds left. But Parrish was fouled and cooly drilled two free throws to ice the game for GRC.
The Lyons (31-6) will be in the state championship mix next season with all five starters returning. Perry, who broke “King” Kelly Coleman’s career Kentucky scoring record in the opening round, finished with 19 points and four steals and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
“It’s always a good season when you end at Rupp,” Perry said. “We fought as hard as we could. The motivation to get back to (Rupp Arena) next year is a big factor. I’m proud of the way we played for each other.”
“I am really proud of them,” Lyon County head coach Ryan Perry said. “We came up here with full intentions to win a state championship. Based on this game it shows that we did have the basketball team to do it. Hats off to (GRC). They played a good game. Our guys have a lot of heart. They play for each other. I am really, really proud of what it meant for our community.”
Game Recap
The teams slogged to a 6-6 start over the first six minutes before the Lyons went on a 7-0 run to end the first quarter thanks to a Shoulders layup, Perry 3-pointer and Jack Reddick jumper.
The Cardinals caught fire in the second quarter to the tune of six three-pointers. Parrish dropped in three within a one-minute span before Hampton nailed one in the closing seconds to give the Cardinals a 30-24 halftime lead. GRC also got a highlight alley-oop from Morton to Edwards. Perry had eight first-half points on 3-of-7 shooting.
“I felt like that stretch in the second quarter was the difference when they made five three-pointers in a row,” Coach Perry said. “We had the lead and it flipped the momentum.”
The Cards continued its hot shooting from deep in the third quarter, with Hampton and Edwards each connecting on two. Reddick’s back-to-back buckets cut the deficit to 48-44 before Edwards added his second triple of the quarter. Bradin Nelson used a spin move to convert for the Lyons, while Morton converted two free throws for GRC on the other end. Perry ended the quarter with a triple for his 13th point of the game, cutting the Cardinal lead to 50-46.
The Lyons stormed back to take the lead on a Reddick runner and Perry three-pointer that had their fans roaring.
That’s when Cook called for a defensive switch, similar to what he did last year in the finals against Warren Central. That move proved crucial, helping send George Rogers Clark to another state semifinal matchup.
Next Up for GRC
The Cardinals (29-5) move on to the semifinals where they will face No. 2 Frederick Douglass (33-2) on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 PM. The Cards are looking to become the first state champion to repeat since Fairdale in 1990-1991.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard