Clark knocks off No. 1 and a few other things we learned about boys’ basketball this week
On the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s scoreboard and in its hometown of Winchester, the school is called George Rogers Clark — GRC for short if you choose to chant it.
To clarify where the George Rogers Clark High School Cardinals are from, many folks, including the Herald-Leader, refer to their teams as “Clark County.”
Next week, when the first Associated Press high school basketball poll of 2022 comes out, Clark County’s boys’ team could very well be called “No. 1.”
The Cardinals (11-1) certainly staked their claim to No. 1 in this week’s White, Greer and Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.
The Herald-Leader preseason No. 5 Cardinals rallied from 11 points down in the second quarter and eight points down in the third quarter to knock off No. 1 Ballard (9-4) by a final score of 65-56 in the event’s championship game Wednesday night.
It was Ballard’s first loss to an in-state team.
“I was pleased that we showed toughness,” said Clark County Coach Josh Cook, who has led the Cardinals to back-to-back 10th Region crowns and corresponding bids to the Boys’ Sweet 16. “I mean, that’s the most important thing for me — where we are mentally tough-wise. This is a grind game — if we’re trying to score 100 with Ballard, it’s probably not going to work. So for me, it’s to show that we’ve improved (and) we can get defensive stops, we can get a defensive rebound when we need to. That’s an improvement.”
That’s exactly how his players approached it, said senior forward Tanner Walton. Ballard went on a 12-3 run in the first half to take a 33-22 lead on Kaden Stanton’s three-pointer with 3:43 left in the second quarter. Cook called a timeout to settle things down. Clark County answered with a 10-2 run to close the gap to within 35-32 at halftime.
“We just told each other we had to get one possession at a time. Stop and then score,” Walton said. “That’s basically what we did, and that’s how we clawed back into this.”
Ballard threatened to run away again, getting back-to-back baskets and fouls converted by Keno Hayden whose missed first foul shot caromed back into his hands to set up a second bucket and another free throw try, which he made. His personal 5-0 run put Ballard up 47-39 midway through the third quarter.
But Clark County didn’t panic. Cook wouldn’t allow it.
“I’m not going to give them a choice,” Cook said. “You’ve got to believe. And I’m going to push. … Most importantly, you’ve got to show (your players) you believe in them.”
Clark again rallied in the final minutes of a quarter to cut the lead to 52-51 by the break.
When Jerone Morton hit a three-pointer from the left corner to start the scoring in the fourth quarter, Clark County took a 54-52 lead and never trailed again. Morton scored a game-high 21 points and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Trent Edwards and Walton scored 13 points each.
The ability to rally from deficits against a top-flight opponent impressed their coach.
“We’re starting to understand that every game has a game flow. Every game has a rhythm. When you’re playing really well, you know you got it,” Cook said. “But when the game the momentum swings, are we poised enough? Or do we have a championship mentality to adjust to that rhythm — to get a stop when we need to, to get a tough bucket when we need it? And we showed that. And, man, I’m excited.”
But a December tournament win is not the same as one in February and March. Cook knows his team can’t buy into the hype that’s coming their way.
“They know me well enough to know I’m going to find enough to complain about what we can get better at. It still ain’t perfect for me. I don’t know if it ever will be,” Cook said. “We’ve got a lot we can get better at. We’ve got to stay humble. Enjoy the win. Listen to some of the noise. But mostly block a lot of the clutter and focus on each other.”
Other claims on No. 1
A few other teams might have a shot at a No. 1 ranking next week.
Covington Catholic (12-2) has two losses to out-of-state teams but won the King of the Bluegrass holiday tournament last week in Louisville, which included victories over Male and North Laurel. Bowling Green (10-0) also could draw some votes, although its schedule hasn’t yet included as many top teams as Clark County and CovCath.
Also undefeated, but not as highly regarded in preseason polls are Pulaski County (15-0), Lloyd Memorial (9-0) and Clinton County (12-0).
Clark County made most of moment vs. North Laurel, too
Before knocking off No. 1 on Wednesday, Clark County spoiled the party for Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard and his No. 6 North Laurel team on Tuesday in front of a capacity crowd at Lexington Catholic’s Bueter Gym.
So many people showed up, in fact, that Lexington Catholic ran out of tickets to give them. With a seating capacity of 1,725, a conservative estimate would put the standing-room crowd at about 1,800, a remarkable number these days for a December holiday tournament.
“It was fun. That was a big crowd,” said Clark County’s Morton, who scored a game-high 27 points and often matched up defensively against Sheppard, who exploded for 50 points against Pleasure Ridge Park a day earlier but scored 25 against Clark County.
Morton also had two blocks, five steals and hit four of his eight three-point attempts against North Laurel, making the most of his time in the spotlight that playing in a game with Sheppard brings. UK Coach John Calipari, assistant coach Orlando Antigua and a number of current UK players were in attendance.
Morton, who has scholarship offers from Eastern Kentucky and Coastal Carolina didn’t entertain any comparisons.
“I just went out there and played my game. Had fun and trusted my teammates,” he said.
He was more excited about the win and what it meant.
“We proved that we could play basketball as a team,” he said. “We’ve got a stacked team and we went out there and all trusted each other and made plays.”
Ballard will still be tough to beat
The Ballard Bruins were an overwhelming choice as the Herald-Leader’s preseason No. 1 team. Fifty-eight of the 114 coaches voting ranked Ballard first. An early-season loss provides a learning opportunity.
“We’re not bulletproof. We knew that we’re going to have challenges and ups and downs in the game of basketball,” Ballard Coach Chris Renner said after the Bruins’ 74-65 semifinal win over Lexington Catholic on Tuesday.
In what might have been a bit of foreshadowing, Ballard let a lead of as many as 21 points dwindle to as few as six points in the fourth quarter against Catholic. A day earlier against Madison Central, Ballard actually trailed at halftime 32-28 before pulling out a 67-60 win.
Madison Central Coach Allen Feldhaus Jr. praised Ballard as an elite team.
Ballard and Covington Catholic, I think are a little above, maybe quite a bit above everybody else,” Feldhaus said Monday. “They’ve just got so much depth. His second five would be a top-10 team in the state. They are impressive.”
That depth includes 6-foot-9 senior center Maker Bar, 6-3 senior guard Keno Hayden and 6-5 junior forward Gabe Sisk, who each scored in double figures against Clark County. Bar had 13 points, including three three-pointers against Lexington Catholic on Tuesday.
“We know there’s going to be a lot of pressure. Every team is going to come at us,” Bar said after the LexCath win.
Being preseason No. 1 comes with a target Ballard embraced, Renner said.
“I’d rather have the bullseye on us than to be number 280 in the state,” Renner joked. “We’re just trying to get better every day, get better as a team and individually and see where this thing ends.”
A look at the 11th Region, so far
The holiday tournaments haven’t provided much clarity about who might be the favorite in the 11th Region.
Madison Central (7-3), Lexington Catholic (11-2), Henry Clay (11-2) and Madison Southern (8-4) have all taken their lumps.
Madison Central had breakout performances from senior center Will Hardin, who leads the team with 19.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He made four of his five three-point attempts in a win over Bardstown and five of his seven three-point attempts against Ballard. Feldhaus bemoaned Hardin’s underrated status.
“He’s just a smart kid. Old school is what I call it,” Feldhaus said. “He can’t jump that high, but he understands the game, understands how to get off shots and defensively, he’s smart enough to know that he can’t get out and pressure people, he’s just got to stay out in front of them.”
Lexington Catholic battled back from a double-digit deficit against Ballard on Tuesday and kept close before ultimately falling to North Laurel on Wednesday, but assistant coach Matthew Heissenbuttel was encouraged by the effort. Heissenbuttel subbed into the lead role with head coach Brandon Salsman out due to an illness this week.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who are sophomores and juniors that had never played in a tournament like this before and have never played against a team like that before,” Heissenbuttel said after LexCath’s loss to Ballard. “It just took us half a quarter to settle in. I was proud of them after that. I thought they played hard. They kept fighting, and I think, I hope, this is a game that down the stretch of the season, we’ll be able to look back at and say it helped us.”
LexCath big man Reece Potter, a 7-foot junior, struggled early in the week, but found his form Wednesday against North Laurel. Potter had 19 points and 16 rebounds against the Jaguars.
“People are guarding him a little differently. And this is just a different talent level,” Heissenbuttel said. “Reese is still learning and he’s still growing as a player and he’s going to be fine. I’m not worried about him at all. He’s just got to keep working at it and keep getting better. I know we’re glad we have him, and I think he’s in store for a big year.”
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 7:58 AM.
