LEXINGTON — It wasn’t easy, but George Rogers ClArk punched its ticket into Friday’s quarterfinals of the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16 with a 51-43 win over 12th Region champion Mercer County.
The Lady Cardinals (27-7) saw their lead cut to 39-38 early in the fourth quarter before using a 12-5 run to close out the game.
Ciara Byars led the way for George Rogers Clark, finishing with 22 points, and six rebounds while Brianna Byars had 14 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Anaya Chestnut added nine points and six rebounds as the Lady Cardinals finished the game hitting 20-of-41 shot attempts from the floor.
Anna Drakeford led Mercer County (21-14) with 20 points, and four rebounds while Lindsay Jessie had nine points. Sara Dunn finished with seven points and three rebounds while Teigh Yeast added six points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
The Lady Titans I’m finished the game hitting 17-of-40 shot attempts.
After falling behind 4-0 to start the game, George Rogers Clark closed out the period with a 19-5 run to take a 19-9 advantage into the second quarter.
A 3-pointer by Byars gave the Lady Cardinals a 14-7 lead with 1:55 remaining. Another long range shot by Chestnut increased George Rogers Clark’s lead to 19-7.
The Lady Cardinals shot 8-of-12 in the first quarter while Mercer County turned in a 4-of-10 shooting effort.
The Lady Titans slowly chipped at their deficit in the second quarter with Dunn’s 3-pointer at the 5:32 mark making the score, 21-15.
A basket by Drakeford cut George Rogers Clark’s lead to 23-19 before her basket right before the end of the half cut the Lady Cardinals’ advantGe to 25-21 at halftime.
Mercer County shot 5-of-12 from the floor during the period, and 9-of-22 in the first half. Drakeford’s 10 points led the way for the Lady Titans while Jessie added five points.
George Rogers Clark hit 2-of-8 shot attempts in the second quarter, and 10-of-20 in the first half, including going 3-of-8 from 3-point range.
Ciara Byars led the Lady Cardinals with eight points while Brianna Byars added seven points, and Chestnut had six points.
Both teams continued to trade baskets throughout the quarter. George Rogers Clark’s lead grew to six points midway through the period but Drakeford continued to have the hot hand and her layup with 32 seconds remaining cut Mercer County’s deficit to 36-34 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Titans connected on 4-of-8 shot attempts during the period while the Lady Cardinals were 4-of-13.
The play of Ciara Byars began to allow George Rogers Clark to gain some breathing room. Her layup with under three minutes remaining increased her team’s lead to 49-41.
