Cards taste defeat at King of the Bluegrass
Published 11:52 am Thursday, December 22, 2022
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For 364 days, through a 10th Region Championship and state championship, George Rogers Clark boys basketball fans had the luxury of seeing their team emerge victorious each time they took the court.
This weekend, the Cards showed that their human.
The Cards went 1-2 during their stay at the King of the Bluegrass Tournament, winning their first matchup before losing consecutive outings.
Playing on Saturday, the Cards took down the defending 7th Region Champion Male Bulldogs 70-59.
The Cards took an early lead, but a 13-2 Male run cut into the scoring in the second quarter and gave the Bulldogs a temporary 5-point edge.
Starting with consecutive three-point shots from Eli Craig and Tyleik Maxwell, the Cards regained the lead and added to it en route to an 11-point victory.
Trent Edwards was named Player of the Game with 18 points, while the Cards kept a half-dozen Bulldog points off the score via blocks at the rim.
“It feels pretty good,” said Edwards. “I just plan it. It just comes, and I just block it.”
“We try to scout teams based on what we think are their strengths,” said Head Coach Josh Cook. “We have guys that do jobs defensively…our guys that chase the shooters were fantastic tonight.”
The victory extended the Cards’ consecutive games winning streak to 37, the third-most in state history and most in over 70 years.
As mentioned, though, it would extend no further.
A Saturday afternoon contest against a highly-ranked Great Crossing team resulted in an overtime loss by a 64-62 score.
Despite an early 11-point lead, the Cards were unable to hold off a Warhawks rally led by 21 points from Junius Burrell and 20 from 6’11” Malachi Moreno.
The Cards were able to tie the game late in overtime on a layup from Jerone Morton, but the Warhawks countered with a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to secure the win.
One night later, an early deficit was too much for the Cards to overcome despite a furious rally.
The Cards lost 72-71 against LaRue County, nearly overcoming an 18-point deficit before falling just short of victory.
The Hawks were led by 21 points from Daniel Allen and 12 three-point baskets on 23 shot attempts (52.2%).
With the loss, the Cards’ record moves to 6-2.
One bright spot over the last two games for the Cards was junior Reshaun Hampton, who scored 26 points in each contest.
After Christmas, the team will return to play in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC.
They’ll start with a matchup against Socastee High School on Dec. 28th at 8:45 p.m.