George Rogers Clark comes back against Assumption 48-43; wins first-ever state title

After consecutive years of state tournament exits, finishing as runners-up the year prior, George Rogers Clark hoisted its first-ever Girls Basketball Sweet 16 championship trophy.

A 6-0 run to open the fourth quarter from MVP Teigh Yeast cushioned the Lady Cardinals (33-2) enough to hold off Assumption (27-6) 48-43 on Saturday night in Rupp Arena

“I had a slow first three quarters but I know how to keep playing,” said Yeast. “I didn’t want to end my very last game in my high school career playing like that.”

Eighth-grader Eliyah Strode paced GRC with 15 points (7-11 FG), nine rebounds, and four blocks. Yeast and Kennedy Stamper combined for 22 points and seven steals.

“I told myself I had to bring it, not for me, but for my team,” said Strode. “I wanted to give my seniors the chance to have that gold ball.”

Stamper closed the first half with a 4-0 run, slicing through the defense to score her first points of the game, which kept the Lady Cardinals in it, down 21-19 at the break.

“We kept saying it could’ve been 12, 15,” said GRC coach Robbie Graham on the halftime deficit. “Our run is coming. We just got to be patient, so we kept grinding.”

They got that run in the third, with an 8-0 stretch to reverse the four-point deficit into a four-point advantage. GRC’s bridesmaid fate seemed to be no longer sealed.

GRC avenged a silver medal finish from the year prior, losing to Sacred Heart 65-60, who claimed their fifth straight championship. Moreover, the Valkyries have sent the Lady Cardinals home each of the last four years in Rupp Arena.

This time, though, GRC can thank Assumption for not meeting their postseason kryptonite, as the Rockets represented the 7th Region for the first time since 2007, knocking off Sacred Heart in the region final.

Assumption came out as the aggressor, overwhelming GRC with their athleticism as the Rockets jumped out to a 15-8 first-quarter lead. Ashlinn James, the game’s leading scorer with 20, outscored the Lady Cardinals by herself with nine in the opening frame, but was completely neutralized in the next quarter with zero points.

“Our plan all along was to build a wall…you let her get a head of steam and it’s two points or a foul,” said Graham. “So the second half we were in the gaps a little more to try to keep her from penetrating.”

“Ash has my vote for Miss Basketball,” said an emotional Assumption coach Caryn Kovatch. “She’s the type of player that is so incredibly unselfish when she probably should be more selfish.”

The Indiana signee’s teammates attest to her unwavering impact.

“She’s the best player I’ve ever met in my life,” said Assumption guard Se’Rae Bundrent-Palmer. “She’s made me more confident in the person I am today.”

That confidence showed late in the third quarter, as Bundrent-Palmer went on a 6-0 run by herself to tie the game at 33 into the final frame, stopping a 14-4 run from GRC.

“One day they’re gonna win it all,” said James, passing the torch to her teammates. “Everything happens for a reason. Maybe it’s not their time now, but it will be soon.”

On Jan. 8, the Rockets squeezed out a 61-56 triple overtime victory over these Lady Cardinals. Since then, GRC closed out the season on a 24-game heater.

They finally get to take the “gold ball” home, putting their silver medal and triple overtime nightmares to bed.