George Rogers Clark Outdoes All His Competition in Thrilling KHSAA Championship Battle!
The George Rogers Clark Cardinals won the KHSAA girls basketball Sweet 16 title over the Assumption Rockets at Rupp Arena. See final state bracket:
LEXINGTON — After years of coming up just short, the George Rogers Clark High School girls basketball team finally reached the peak Saturday night. Eighth-grader Eliyah Strode showed her brilliance and senior Teigh Yeast finally got to cut down the nets as the Cardinals beat Assumption 48-43 in the championship game of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Sweet 16 in front of 5,510 fans at Rupp Arena . No.
1-ranked GRC (33-2) had fallen to eventual state champion Sacred Heart in each of the past four Sweet 16s — including 65-60 in last year’s final — but willed its way to its first state championship on Saturday. Strode dominated the paint, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Yeast, who has signed with Robert Morris University, added 12 points and four steals.
Senior Ashlinn James, an Indiana University signee, scored 20 points to lead No. 2 Assumption (27-6). The Rockets dropped to 0-2 in state finals, having lost to Lexington Catholic in 1999.
It was a battle between two of the state’s top defensive teams and was tied at 33 after three quarters. But Yeast took over in the fourth, scoring eight points during a 10-2 run that gave GRC a 43-35 lead with 2:07 left. This story will be updated.