Defending champs George Rogers Clark down Reed Sheppard, North Laurel in Sweet 16

In a matchup that should have been reserved for the semifinals, two of the state’s top teams battled it out with a shot at the quarterfinals on the line.

In the final first-round game of the 2023 UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 Tournament on Thursday night at Rupp Arena, the No. 5 George Rogers Clark Cardinals staved off a comeback attempt by the No. 7 North Laurel Jaguars, winning 60-54. Kentucky men’s basketball signee Reed Sheppard, who played in his final high school outing as a result of the loss, finished with 23 points, four rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and seven turnovers for North Laurel.

Meanwhile, defending Sweet 16 champion George Rogers Clark was powered by a trio of talented Cardinals. Morehead State commit Jerone Morton along with senior Sam Parrish both poured in 19 points while junior Reshaun Hampton chipped in 17 more. All five starters played nearly every single second for GRC. Morton, who was named the tournament MVP in last season’s title run, took on the challenge of defending Sheppard, who shot 8-18 from the floor.

“I’ll pick him over anybody,” GRC head coach Josh Cook said of Morton after the win. “I’ve been with him long enough. This is his third straight Elite 8, fourth straight regional championship. I’d pick him over anybody. Why? Because I don’t know if there’s anybody in the state that wants to compete like him.

“There’s no doubt when we’re playing tomorrow night (against Lyon County and its four-star junior Travis Perry), I would imagine who he’s gonna want to guard. And there’s no question about it. There’s no hesitation. If it was LeBron James, Jerone Morton is probably asking for the matchup… If I’m picking a player in the state of Kentucky, it’s Jerone Morton, and I think his results say why.”

George Rogers Clark burst out of the starting gate, eager to begin its run for back-to-back state championships and a third straight Elite 8 berth. The Cardinals jumped out to an immediate 10-3 lead as Sheppard had the lone bucket for North Laurel early on. GRC’s Parrish followed that up with an and-one finish to make it a 13-3 advantage with three minutes left in the opening frame.

The Jaguars’ shooting struggles persisted throughout the rest of the first quarter, as North Laurel went just 2-11 to open the game. Sheppard, in particular, was struggling to find his rhythm. Meanwhile, George Rogers Clark established an 18-5 edge entering the second quarter behind 10 points and five rebounds from Parrish. That 13-point difference proved crucial later on.

“First quarter, Sweet 16 game against the defending champs, you can’t score five points,” North Laurel head coach Nate Valentine said postgame. “We tried to fight back from that but you get down 13 in the first quarter and it really puts you in a tough spot.”

But as expected, Sheppard soon began to heat up. He scored seven quick points in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter for North Laurel to keep his squad alive. But Morton countered with a lane-clearing slam to shift the moment back toward GRC.

2Q, 6:10:
GRC 20, North Laurel 11

Jerone Morton with a one-handed slam and the North Laurel player makes sure to get out of the way… pic.twitter.com/vyWaBCs14x

— 10thRegion.com (@tenthregion) March 17, 2023

Sheppard kept fighting though, racking up 14 points in the second quarter alone. With three minutes left until the half, he helped North Laurel make it just a 25-17 lead for GRC, but the Jaguars still couldn’t get over the hump. North Laurel trailed by seven after a huge triple from Sheppard, although GRC quickly extended its lead back out to nine, 29-20, following a timely shot from Morton right ahead of the halftime break.

Just like the first quarter, George Rogers Clark came out firing to open the third. A triple from Morton 12 seconds into the second half put the Cardinals ahead by double-digits. That lead would only continue to grow. A tough and-one was converted by Morton before a three-pointer from Hampton forced a North Laurel timeout and made it 44-28 in favor of GRC with 2:43 left in the third period.

At one point, the Cardinals went on a devastating 12-0 run that blew the game wide open. Sheppard countered with a couple of scores, but the score was still 50-33 with George Rogers Clark in complete control and under two minutes left in the third. Hampton would drill another triple on the next possession down to extend the GRC lead out to 20 points.

North Laurel wouldn’t lie down entirely, though. A mini 5-0 run to close the third quarter put the Jaguars down 15 points, 53-38, with just one quarter to go. The Jaguars kept chipping away. After a made three-pointer from sophomore Colton Rawlings and a score inside by senior Gavin Chadwell, North Laurel was down by 10 with three minutes left in regulation.

Out of the media timeout, junior Brody Brock drilled a must-have triple from the corner for the Jaguars that made it only a seven-point game, forcing GRC to burn a timeout with just 2:16 to go. North Laurel’s comeback attempt would end there, though. An and-one from senior Trent Edwards pushed the lead back to 10 for the Cardinals, sealing the 8-point win and a spot in Friday’s quarterfinals.

It was a tough end to a successful high school career for Sheppard and his cousin/teammate Ryan Davidson, who have both played varsity at North Laurel for several years now. The next time Sheppard is in Rupp Arena, he’ll do so in a Kentucky Wildcats uniform, but it was still a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise unbelievable chapter in his life.

“It stinks right now. In the locker room, hugging my teammates for the last time. You never want to do that with your best friends but it’s been a heck of a ride,” Sheppard said, fighting back tears. “I couldn’t ask for anything better. Coach Valentine has been there through it all. North Laurel has been awesome to me. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

As much as North Laurel has done for Sheppard, it pales in comparison to everything he’s done for the program. The Jaguars have made the Sweet 16 just three times since 1992, but two of those trips have come in the last 12 months with Sheppard running the show.

“Reed is a McDonald’s All-American, he’s going to Kentucky, and he’s just done a tremendous job for us,” Coach Valentine added. “He could have gone and played at a lot of other places in the country and chose to stay here and be loyal to North Laurel, to the state of Kentucky. I can’t thank him enough.

“I think the biggest thing that stinks is I don’t get to talk walk into practice or coach another game with them. That’s the hard thing. It’s not the loss. It’s the four years of grinding it out that makes it really hard but you know, that’s life.”