George Rogers Clark slaughters North Laurel 76-48 in Top 20 matchup

61-29 is not a score you expect to see in a top-20 matchup.

But that’s where we were at the end of the third quarter on Monday night. No. 5 George Rogers Clark (22-4) took all of the life out of a recently struggling No. 16 North Laurel (22-7) team, as the Cardinals cruised to a 76-48 victory at home that wasn’t close from the start.

GRC outscored the Jaguars 41-17 in the second and third quarters combined, and limited Mr. Basketball candidate Reece Davidson to 15 points on just three made field goals. He didn’t convert his first FG until the third quarter.

“He’s a special player and you have to guard him as a team,” said GRC coach Josh Cook.

The Cardinal defense didn’t just affect Davidson, though, as North Laurel shot only 1-for-12 from three in the first half, the only make being a lucky bounce at the halftime buzzer.

On the other side of the ball, GRC matched the Jaguars with 12 three-point attempts in the first half, but converted on five of them, helping them jump out to a big lead early. The Cards shot over 50% from the field in the first half, but one-upped themselves in the second with a 77.3 FG percentage.

Malachi Ashford, the game’s leading scorer with 21, didn’t even need the final period to produce his output, and added game-highs with seven assists and four steals.

“Play for 32 minutes,” said Ashford. “We always knew we had to get out. They can shoot the ball, get hands up on shooters and just play defense as a team.”

Coach Cook agrees that GRC played a complete game.

“Most importantly, we were bought in. We didn’t take many plays off, and for the most part close to a 32-minute complete game.”

Montez Gay and Ryder Adkins finished with 15 and 13, respectively, shooting a combined 5-for-9 from three. Gay also snatched eight boards.

After surrendering to an upset against Lexington Catholic earlier this month, GRC is on a tear with six consecutive wins, with only one of them not being decided by over 25 points.

“There’s highs and lows this time of year,” said Cook. “You’re not always going to play your best but can you learn from it? And that’s a challenge our guys have accepted.”

North Laurel is trending in the opposite direction, this being their third straight loss in five days, all at the hands of ranked teams.

Corey Cunagin was the only other scorer in double figures for the Jaguars with 11.