Balanced attack leads Grayson County into its second ever Sweet 16 quarterfinal
Grayson County has boasted one of the most balanced scoring attacks in the state this season.
The Cougars’ scoring consistency persisted Wednesday night at Rupp Arena in a 73-64 win over Taylor County, propelling them to the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 quarterfinals for just the second time in school history.
All five Grayson County starters finished in double-digit scoring, led by Brody Armstrong’s 18. Jagger Mardis and Jack Logsdon scored 16 apiece while Caden Gaither and Spencer Langdon added 12 and 11
Grayson County (26-6) was off balance in the first half. It clung to a 25-24 lead despite shooting 34.6% from the floor and its top threat, Logsdon, going scoreless for most of the way. He had six at the break, both on 3-pointers made about midway through the second quarter against a “funky zone,” as described by Cougars head coach Travis Johnston.
“We didn’t play great in the first half and that’s a credit to Taylor County,” Johnston said. “ … That gave us problems, but CG set the tone in the third quarter and that was the difference in the game.”
Gaither scored eight of his 12 points during a 15-3 run that helped the Cougars push their lead to 51-41 by the end of the third quarter.
Taylor County (26-10) got to within 57-52 on a 3-pointer by Cooper Stone midway through the fourth quarter, but Mardis scored the next four points for Grayson County, which made 14 of its 16 free-throw attempts inside the final two minutes to brush off the Cardinals.
Typically well-balanced as well, Taylor County struggled to get much going outside of Stone (25 points, five rebounds) and center Bryten Close (13 points, nine rebounds). Grayson County limited Stone, a 45% 3-point shooter, to a 2-for-10 mark from long distance.
Logsdon, a Western Kentucky commit who averages 20.2 points per game, couldn’t find his touch from the field – he made just one more shot after the second-quarter treys on a 3-for-10 night – but was 8-for-8 from the stripe. He added 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks, all team-highs.
“He’s going to make sure he points out the assists if he’s the leader,” Johnston said with a laugh.
Logsdon, a junior, quickly followed up: “That’s all we talk about, I’m the one with the least assists.”
Grayson County, playing in just its fourth Boys’ Sweet 16, advanced to the quarterfinals in its last appearance (2009) before bowing out to West Jessamine. It’ll meet the winner between Danville Christian Academy and Great Crossing at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Settling into Grayson County
Mardis was the second-leading scorer at LaRue County as a junior last season (16.2 ppg). As a sophomore, Gaither was the leading scorer (13.7 ppg) and primary ball-handler at Collins in the same campaign.
While an entire KHSAA region separates Grayson County (3rd) and Larue County (5th), their county seats (Leitchfield and Hodgenville, respectively) are only about 40 miles apart. Mardis, a former travel-ball teammate of Logsdon, enrolled at Grayson County ahead of the school year.
“I knew as soon as I got to this team that we had a chance to be here,” Mardis said.
Gaither wasn’t part of the team until mid-December, after it’d already played three games. His father, former Collins boys basketball coach Chris Gaither, was placed on administrative leave and later fired by the Shelby County School District following allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior.
Taylor County head coach Joshua Kays lauded Caden Gaither’s handling of the circumstances while noting how much more difficult he made Grayson County to guard.
“At first the transfer was hard because of where I came from I was ‘the guy’ or whatever,” Caden said. “I knew we had a good team and we could make a good run. My teammates, when I walked in the door they were good to me and it was comfortable from there.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 9:51 PM.