Clark puts the clamps on Franklin-Simpson to reach Girls’ Sweet 16 semifinals

George Rogers Clark head Robbie Graham emptied his bench the instant Eliyah Strode scored to put the Cardinals ahead by 36 and put a running clock into effect 31 seconds into the fourth quarter Friday night at Rupp Arena.

His Cardinals need all the rest they can manage ahead of a showdown with Simon Kenton in the the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16 semifinals. That’s set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Getting to Saturday is old hat for Clark; they’ve now made it three of the last four state tournaments.

The Cardinals also know what it’s like to get through the semifinals and be achingly close to a championship, only to fall short. Finishing the last day of the season on top requires every ounce of energy — mental as much as physical — a team can muster.

“Every minute counts,” Graham said. “Rest at this point. The hay’s in the barn. You’re not gonna drop a new defense, no new set coming up. It’s who’s going to execute, who’s gonna get tired, who’s gonna rebound, who’s gonna guard. At this point, it’s toughness.”

Clark was as tough as its been all season for most of a 69-34 quarterfinal win over Franklin-Simpson.

Franklin-Simpson missed eight of its first nine shots before Pennington launched a 3-pointer from well beyond the college 3-point arc that pulled the Wildcats within three near the end of the first quarter. It was the only shot she made, and just the second of three she’d attempt, in the first half. By the end of the half, Clark was up 34-18, buoyed by a 10-point punch from Kyleigh Chestnut, who finished with 12 and three assists.

After the Wildcats quickly scored the first four points of the third quarter, Graham called a timeout to reset. After that, Clark went on an 11-2 run in under 2 minutes of game time, pushing its lead to 45-24. Franklin-Simpson called a timeout, Pennington hit a 3-pointer, and then the Cardinals went on another big run — 20-5 — to put it well out of reach by the end of the third.

“We talked about coming out (of halftime) like our hair was on fire, and we came out not playing like that,” Graham said with a laugh. “ … We got their attention a little bit and then they came out like their hair was on fire.”

It’s a testament to Clark’s depth that it didn’t miss a beat with point guard Kennedy Stamper, a junior committed to Cincinnati, sidelined for most of the game due to foul trouble. She still managed to rack up 12 points, two steals and a block in under 14 minutes.

Teigh Yeast, who took the assignment most of the night against Pennington, had a game-high 19 points and six assists in just 15 minutes of action. Pennington was one of three Wildcats who finished with 10 points and shot 2-for-3 from long range (2 for 6 overall).

This story was originally published March 14, 2026 at 3:06 AM.