George Rogers Clark uses big third quarter to swat away pesky Johnson Central
George Rogers Clark jumped to a 19-7 lead over the first seven minutes of its first-round matchup with Johnson Central, and it looked like the No. 4 Cardinals would cruise into Friday night’s quarterfinals of the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.
And even though Clark eventually pulled out a 75-60 win in Thursday’s final game, the Golden Eagles made their presence felt in a second quarter rally that saw the 15th Region champs take a 31-29 lead into the locker room at half.
“Their second quarter showed some serious firepower,” Clark coach Josh Cook said. “We had to sit down and guard and make some decisions because they were beating us in transition, too. We did a much better job in the second half. We were able to get stops. And we were able to execute our stuff as well and get some high-percentage shots.”
After falling behind 19-7 with 39 seconds left in the first quarter on a Clark layup by Ryder Akins, Johnson Central got hot from distance and settled into the game. Cooper Blair hit a pair of treys around another by Ethan Cole to shrink the Cards’ lead 21-15 barely 90 seconds into the second quarter.
The teams traded baskets for a bit until Blair hit his fourth 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 29-28 with 1:13 till half. An offensive foul on Ryder Akins gave Johnson Central a chance to hold for the last shot.
Mason McKenzie launched it just ahead of the buzzer for the lead, Johnson Central’s seventh 3-pointer of the half. Blair scored all 15 of his points in the first half.
“That first half was just fun,” Blair, a sophomore, said. “The goal kind of looked bigger and the shot felt good. Thanks to my teammates for throwing me the ball.”
A more tenacious and determined Clark came out in the third quarter, however, and the Cards outscored Johnson Central 27-9 in the frame to take control of the game.
Montez Gay scored a pair of 3-pointers and had nine of his 15 points in the third. Akins finished with 15 points.
Amari Bartelson, Clark’s 6-7 senior center, made his presence felt throughout the game for Clark (30-4) and had six points, including a dunk, in the pivotal third quarter. When a reporter praised Bartelson’s performance leading into a question, Cook, clearly pleased by the praise, shrugged it off, jokingly.
“Let’s don’t get his head too big,” Cook quipped. “Amari played a very good game. He can play better. He missed that one layup that I remember that he definitely wasn’t happy about.”
Bartelson also grabbed 11 rebounds, six on the offensive end, made 9 of his 14 shots, snatched two steals and had four blocks.
“He’s sometimes his biggest critic. When he misses one, he gets pretty emotional,” Cook said. “The past two weeks, he’s kind of gotten past that. It’s like, you know, if you shoot 60-65% from the field and if you miss one, be ready to put it back in.”
Playing without a senior on its roster, Johnson Central (28-6) made it to Rupp Arena for the first time since 2019. Austin Slone, a junior, led the team with 19 points and had five assists.
Although the second half got away from the Golden Eagles, coach Tommy McKenzie said he believed his team showed it could play on the same level with one of the best teams in the state.
“Their athleticism and size really played a big factor in blowing this game open a little bit,” McKenzie said. “I’m just super proud of these guys’ effort. I wish we could have come away with a win, but, you know, that’s just the way it goes sometimes. Hopefully, we can get these guys back in the next couple years and give it another go.”
