GRC gets 3rd chance at ‘Hounds
Published 12:35 am Friday, February 24, 2017
Tonight’s 46th District Tournament championship will feature the third meeting between the George Rogers Clark High School boys basketball team and host Paris.
The Greyhounds won the two regular season games and go into the title game as the presumed favorite. The Cardinals are back in the championship for the first time in three years. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Here’s a closer look at tonight’s game:
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GRC reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2011-12 when the Cardinals topped Montgomery County in Paris Wednesday night.
That was the same year the Cards last brought home a 46th District championship. The Cardinals won 31 games that season and reached the second round of the state tournament afer cruisig through the 10th Region Tournament.
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Paris and GRC played twice but the Jan. 3 meeting in Winchester was the only game featuring all 10 of the projected starters for tonight’s game. The Greyhounds won by three points, 58-55, nearly two months ago.
In the Feb. 9 meeting, GRC fell 81-67 but Jordan Graham (11.5 points per game, 4.1 rebounds) and Will Philpot (11.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG) weren’t even in the building.
Despite being shorthanded, the Cardinals were down by just two points going into the fourth quarter. They also missed eight free throws in the final period to let Paris off the hook.
The Greyhounds did themselves no favors in that game, picking up a pair of technical fouls and giving GRC 29 trips to the charity stripe.
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The Greyhounds have lost just once in their previous 16 games. The defeat was a 92-74 loss at Corbin, who was lifted by eight 3-pointers and a 41-point, 17-rebound effort from Andrew Taylor.
Over that period, which stretches back to the New Year, the Greyhounds brought home their first-ever All ‘A’ State championship after defeating Newport Central Catholic in the championship game.
Paris looks for its 25th win of the season and third straight district championship tonight.