George Rogers Clark eliminated Harlan County in the Sweet 16 at BB&T Arena Wednesday night.

What appeared to be a back-and-forth battle with GRC only leading by one at halftime, turned into a runway to the Elite 8 for Clark in their 70-56 victory.

Harlan controlled the pace early by getting easy fast-break points with the help of their players leaking out on the wings.

They led by as many as six in the first quarter and once the Cards figured out the trick, they pulled themselves back into the game.

“I think we just needed to settle in,” coach Robbie Graham said. “We were able to adjust and do the things we’re capable of doing and execute. The run-outs really hurt us, but we did a much better job in the second half.”

Clark nearly shot perfect from the free throw line as a team, shooting 22-23 compared to Harlan’s 13-16.

Blair Greene from Harlan County, who is going to the University of Kentucky, was one of the main focuses in the game.

Graham said he wanted his team to make the game as difficult for Green as possible.

“We were going to try and rotate defenders on her,” Graham said. “She’s such a tremendous player inside and outside with great size. She has a really good post-up game and she can step out and hit jumpers. We wanted to make sure every shot she got was a tough one.”

Green finished with 19 points.

Clark’s stability was no match for Harlan.

Through Harlan’s missed shots and turnovers late in the game, Clark stayed poised and capitalized in crunch time.

Kennedy Igo led all scorers with 22 points and added 6 assists. She clarified that this is a business trip and not a vacation.

“I know we came here to take care of business,” Igo said. “I came here to play and we want to win.”

Shemaya Behanan followed closely behind her 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.

GRC will face Elizabethtown in the Elite 8 at 1:30 p.m. Friday at BB&T Arena.