St. Xavier from the 7th Region and George Rogers Clark of the 10th Region. GRC will try to repeat the feat accomplished by the girls team last Saturday (beating the parochial 7th Region school) and cut down the nets and bring home the goal ball. The only time a school has won both the girls and boys state tournament was Ashland in 1928. George Rogers Clark is making their third appearance in the championship of the UK HealthCare Boys Basketball Sweet 16® in five years. Clark won it in 2022 and was runner-up in 2023.
George Rogers Clark 53, North Oldham 45
George Rogers Clark survived a back-and-forth game, beating North Oldham 53-45 behind a strong finish and advantage inside. GRC led 18-12 after the first quarter and had the lead for 23 of the 32 minutes, and finished with advantages in points in the paint (26-12), fast-break points (14-2) and points off turnovers (16-9).
North Oldham’s best run was 9-0 in the second, and the game featured seven lead changes and five ties. GRC took a 27-24 lead into halftime and still held a 42-37 edge entering the fourth.
When North Oldham made its final push, GRC had the answer. North Oldham cut the margin to 48-45 with 1:18 remaining, but GRC closed the game by scoring the next five points. Montez Gay converted a layup with 42 seconds left to stretch the lead back to five, and GRC then added three free throws in the final 31 seconds to finish it off. That late sequence matched GRC’s best scoring run of the game, an 8-0 run, and turned a one-possession game into the final eight-point margin.
Montez Gay and Amari Bartelson scored 12 points apiece, while Malachi Ashford and Ryder Akins added 10 each. Bartelson also pulled down 10 rebounds, helping GRC finish with a 27-23 edge on the glass. GRC shot 47.5% from the field compared with North Oldham’s 40.0%.
North Oldham got 22 points from Pierre Rondo and 10 from Thomas Gregg, but GRC kept limiting second chances and transition damage while making enough plays in the halfcourt. In a game that stayed tight most of the way, GRC’s paint scoring, late-game execution, and balanced scoring carried it through to the Sweet 16 victory.
St. Xavier 67, Grayson County 37
St. Xavier took control early and never let Grayson County settle in, building a 19-6 first-quarter lead and then breaking the game open with a 24-point third quarter on the way to a 67-37 win. The Tigers led for 29:02, shot 49.1% from the field, and owned the interior with a 48-12 advantage in points in the paint.
Grayson County stayed within striking distance for a stretch by scoring 15 points in the second quarter, but St. Xavier answered every push and carried a 27-21 lead into halftime. The key separation came after the break, when St. Xavier outscored Grayson County 24-5 in the third quarter. That stretch turned a competitive six-point game into a runaway and gave St. Xavier its largest lead of 30 in the fourth.
Jordan Jackson led St. Xavier with 29 points, and Jermaine Cameron added 13 while Jeremiah Jackson scored 26. St. Xavier also finished with advantages in points off turnovers (14-7), fast-break points (10-0) and bench scoring (10-5). Grayson County was led by Jack Logsdon with 10 points, while Caden Gaither added seven and Jagger Mardis scored six.
Grayson County shot 26.7% overall and finished 4 for 18 from 3-point range, while St. Xavier turned a more efficient offensive day into steady separation. The Tigers went 28 for 57 from the field and held Grayson County to 12 made field goals, using balance, paint production and a decisive third-quarter surge to move on.
Postgame Press Conference:
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