Grayson County’s 5-foot-5 ‘enforcer’ fuels historic Boys’ Sweet 16 victory
Grayson County coach Travis Johnston might have shattered the myth that senior guard Chase Baunach actually stands at the 5-foot-8 listed on the Cougars’ official roster.
What Johnston couldn’t overstate, was his sixth man’s integral role in their come-from-behind 58-50 win over Great Crossing on Friday in the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 quarterfinals at Rupp Arena.
“We were able to make some plays down the stretch. But honestly, it started with Chase. He came in and was everywhere and battled. He set the tone physically for us and everybody else kind of followed along,” Johnston said. “We use Chase as a spark guy to come in, and he’s our enforcer, even though he stands at about 5-5, and it just shows how tough he is and how hard he plays.”
Folks are sure to remember Jack Logsdon’s deep 3-pointer that put Grayson County up 48-46 with 3:48 to play, a lead the Cougars (27-6) expanded the rest of the way to advance to the state semifinals for the first time in school history.
But Baunach delivered two of the game’s most pivotal moments in the 12:20 he was on the floor.
“He’s the MVP of the game,” Johnston said. “And he definitely changed the course of the second half.”
Baunach’s primary task was to double-team Great Crossing’s standout 6-foot-7 sophomore Brady Orem and prevent the Warhawks’ leading scorer from getting too comfortable in the post.
Orem, who finished with 19 points, capped an 8-0 Warhawks run that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Graham Swartz and Aslam Israel and staked Great Crossing to a 34-26 lead with 4:37 to play in the third quarter, its largest lead of the game.
That prompted a Grayson County timeout. The Cougars needed a bucket badly. They missed their next two attempts.
On Jagger Mardis’ miss, Baunach, the smallest player on the floor, swooped into the lane to gather the loose rebound. A few seconds later, Mardis reloaded from 3-point range and knocked down his second chance to start the Cougars’ rally.
Baunach later finished a fast-break with a layup to cut Great Crossing’s lead to 36-35 with 33 seconds left in the third.
A minute into the fourth quarter, Baunach nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing to give Grayson County its first lead of the second half, 40-39, with 6:58 to play.
“I mean, I always bring intensity,” Baunach said. “I’m always smaller than everybody else, so I always plan to play as hard as I can, no matter how big I am, and especially today, win or go home. I couldn’t let it be my last game, so I just gave it my all.”
The lead changed hands five times after Baunach’s 3-pointer. The last swap came on Logsdon’s 21-foot launch from straight away, a pullup off the dribble in Orem’s face.
Logsdon, a 6-7 junior committed to Western Kentucky, had just four points in the first half and missed all four of his previous 3-point tries.
“I mean, I’m a really confident guy, but I was missing a lot of shots. I even air balled one really bad, but I’ll shoot it when I feel open,” Logsdon said. “And I felt really open. I mean, that’s one of my favorite shots. I practice that shot more than any shot — the little hesi-pull — I practice that more than anything. So, I was really confident.”
“That’s the only move he’s got,” Grayson’s Johnston quickly added with a smile.
Logsdon finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mardis and Spencer Langdon chipped in 10 points apiece.
In addition to Orem’s 19, Great Crossing (24-12) got 15 points from Swartz and 10 from Ismail. The defending state champions entered the postseason unranked and unfavored among the 11th Region’s top teams with a completely new starting five from a year ago.
“Extremely proud of our guys,” Great Crossing coach Steve Page said. “At the start of the season, nobody had us ending our season in this place. Obviously, it’s a tough way to go out today. Give Grayson County all the credit. There late, they made a shot. We missed a shot. Sometimes making a shot determines the game.”
Grayson County will face No. 3 St. Xavier in Saturday’s 11 a.m. semifinal.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 6:21 PM.
