Preparing for George Rogers Clark is one thing.
As Bishop Brossart found out Saturday, playing the Cardinals is quite another. GRC won its fourth straight girls 10th Region title, 71-36, at Campbell County Middle School.
“There’s really not a way you can do that in practice,” Brossart coach Steve Brown said. “The amount of athletes that they have (and) the fact that they come at you in waves. They have three Division I basketball players out there on the floor; you don’t see that every day, that’s for sure.”
GRC won its 18th regional crown in school history, and Saturday was the Cardinals’ second four-peat. (The other was from 1988-91.
But don’t weep for the Lady ‘Stangs.
Brossart reached the state All “A” semifinals, won the 37th District for the fourth time in five years, and finished at 26-8 – the third most wins in school history.
“It was a pretty successful season,” Brown said. “Really, aside from this one game, there’s not anything we could’ve asked for. They left everything on the floor.”
Freshman guard Kylie Smith added two more goals – avenging a regular-season loss to Campbell County in the district final and beating three Ohio teams – Hamilton Badin, Mercy McAuley, and McNicholas.
“Our seniors had goals, and we accomplished every single one of their goals,” Smith said.
One of Brossart’s (26-8) tasks was containing trio of Jailenn Green, who scored 22 points in Friday’s semifinal win over Campbell County, Michigan-bound Ciara Byars, and Kennedy Stamper.
It didn’t happen. Byars led the Cardinals (25-7) with 14 points, and Green and Stamper added 12 each.
Brossart’s greatest strength, at least in the first quarter, was its help defense. A mid-first quarter example: When Stamper eluded a Lady ‘Stang defender for a would-be layup, Rachel Shewmaker blocked the shot in the paint.
Byars had just six points against Campbell County, but she surpassed that by halftime Saturday – nine points.
Brossart sought its first win over GRC since 2020, and the Lady ‘Stangs stayed close early. A Greylee Kramer bucket and Smith’s assist trimmed GRC’s (25-7) lead to 13-8 a little more than 30 seconds into the second stanza.
Here, the suspense effectively ended.
A pair of Stamper 3s and Byars’ five points later, the halftime score was Cardinals 31, Lady ‘Stangs 14.
One of GRC’s strongest defensive stops came late in the second quarter. With about 10 seconds before intermission, Smith (who led the Lady ‘Stangs with 15 points) was alone for a breakout layup – until Teigh Yeast blocked it.
“(Yeast) is really good,” Smith said. “Their whole team, I mean, they’re really solid, and I think they will be for the next few years.”
The Cardinals’ reward: Fourth Region champion Franklin-Simpson in the opening round of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Girls Basketball Sweet 16® at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Rupp Arena.
Three Brossart seniors, Zoey Woosley, Zoee Meyers and Elly Clift, completed their high school careers. The good news: three starters, Smith, Kramer and Hadley Eviston, return.
“I’ll remember it forever,” Meyers said. “Special group of girls.”
PHOTOS: Bishop Brossart-GRC 10th Region championship (provided by 10th Region)
CARDINALS 71, LADY ‘STANGS 36
BISHOP BROSSART — 6-8-15-7 – 36
GEORGE ROGERS CLARK — 13-18-18-22 – 71
Bishop Brossart (36) — L. Meyers 3, Eviston 6, Woosley 5, Smith 15, Z. Meyers 2, Shewmaker 1, Kramer 4. 3-Pt. FG: 1 (Smith). FT: 16-19. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: None.
GRC (71) — Stamper 12, Chestnut 4, Yeast 8, Byars 14, Green 12, Goodwin 2, Jones 4, Stakelin 5, Maxwell 2, Miller 2, Strode 6. 3-Pt. FG: 4 (Stamper 2, Byars, Stakelin). FT: 11-18. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: Goodwin.
Records: Bishop Brossart 26-8, George Rogers Clark 25-7.