Clark turns up defense in second half to secure place in Boys’ Sweet 16 semis
George Rogers Clark rode a huge momentum swing in the third quarter thanks to its defense and then held on against a determined Marshall County charge in the fourth quarter for a 63-59 win on Friday to advance to the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 semifinals.
Clark senior point guard Malachi Ashford scored six of his 16 points and grabbed two of his four steals during the Cardinals’ 12-2 run to close the third period.
The swing turned a 27-24 halftime deficit into a 42-34 lead going into the fourth. Marshall County made only two field goals in the third quarter and went 0 for 4 from 3-point range.
“I knew we had to get stops to get buckets,” said Ashford, the 10th Region’s player of the year and a Mr. Basketball finalist. “I just knew defense was going to win us the game. So whatever I have to do on defense to make plays for my team for us to win, is what I got to do.”
Clark outscored Marshall County 46-18 in the paint and capped that run with a three-point play by Amari Bartelson, a 6-7 senior who finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Montez Gay scored a team-high 17 points. Jamylyn Johnson added 13.
Marshall led most of the first half thanks largely to its accuracy from long range. The Marshals made five first half 3-pointers to zero for Clark.
“In the second half, we had to come out and just play our best game,” Gay said. “And the key to that is really just staying calm during halftime. You don’t want to panic during halftime. We had to come out with more aggression.”
But after Clark took its largest lead at 54-42 on a Johnson free throw with 4 minutes, 6 seconds to play, Marshall County rallied.
Matthew Langhi, the Marshals’ 6-7 junior standout, nailed a 3-pointer to begin a 16-6 run over the game’s last three-and-a-half minutes. It was followed by a Neyland Jezik 3-pointer and five more points from Langhi as Clark missed a couple of shots and 11 of its 22 fourth-quarter free-throw attempts.
Marshall trimmed its deficit to 60-58 on a pair of Braxton Burnham free throws with 42 seconds left. It trailed 61-58 after Ashford made one of his two tries at the line with 38 seconds left.
As Langhi brought the ball up the court with a chance to tie, he lost the ball attempting to cross over Bartelson on the right wing. Ashford scooped up the turnover and drew a foul. Now, 28 seconds remained. Ashford made one of his two free throws for a 62-58 lead, essentially sealing the victory.
“You know, getting up here, getting to experience this with these guys, is something that never leaves you. You never forget it,” Marshall County coach Sawyer Donohoo said. “It’s what we play for, and I know these guys will never forget it. Ultimately, we just came up a little bit short.”
Donohoo praised his team’s effort to claw back into the game after the third-quarter momentum swing.
“My message to them during those timeouts was, stay with me. Stay with us, stay together. We’re going to find a way to get back in this game,” Donohoo said. “And they did, you know, we were right there.”
Langhi led the Marshals (25-9) with 27 points. Burnham and Jezik finished with 14 and 13, respectively.
Clark (31-4) made it two for two in come-from-behind wins this week. The Cards trailed Johnson Central by two at half on Thursday night.
“This time of year, it’s not about playing perfect,” Cook said. “Not all your guys are going to play their best. It’s about trying to find a way to get a win.”
Clark will face North Oldham in Saturday’s late semifinal game at 1:30 p.m. St. Xavier will play Grayson County at 11 a.m. The championship game is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 11:54 PM.
