GRC overcomes early struggles, dismantles Paris
Published 10:01 pm Tuesday, February 19, 2019
- Jared Wellman finishes a layup at the rim in GRC's 89-56 win over Paris in the first round of the 40th District tournament Tuesday. (Photo by Micah Satterly)
The George Rogers Clark Cardinals overcame an early struggle against the Paris Greyhounds and came out victorious 89-56.
Both teams found the bottom of the net early as Paris led the Cards 20-19 after the first quarter in a score-heavy battle and neither team could get a defensive stop.
The light bulb on the defensive end finally clicked for the Cards as their offense continued rolling and GRC outscored Paris 21-8 in the second quarter to stretch out the lead 41-28 entering the locker room at halftime.
The Cards continued to dominate Paris on both ends of the floor to slowly stretch out the lead.
GRC had a 23-point lead by the end of the third quarter and GRC rolled through the fourth quarter to advance them to the 40th District championship for the third straight year.
Head coach Josh Cook thought his team responded well after the back and forth first quarter.
“I thought we handled the momentum of the game very well,” he said. “Come tournament time, swings and in-game flow is important. Paris got off to a great start early and our kids kept their composure and got fundamental. Our bench stepped up and got into a rhythm to help give us a good win.”
Defeating a team three times in a season is never an easy task and Cook said his team put what they had prepared for all out on the court to give them the win.
“We did a good job of trying to execute the game plan,” he said. “We had a lot of nervousness and a lot of energy. We had seniors that stepped up and our young kids aren’t worried messing up. We came together and took care of business.”
GRC will face Bourbon County or Montgomery County in the 40th District championship Thursday, two opponents GRC swept in the regular season match ups.
Cook and his team will have a small window to prepare for the third matchup.
“We’re only going to have one day to get ready,” he said. “We’ll just try to come out and play our game. We’ll try to simplify our game plan and put some things together and play basketball. At this time of year, the best players have to step up and play.”
