[Stardust]

It’s not unusual for George Rogers Clark and Mason County to meet in the 10th¿Region finals. However, sometimes, it can be a surprise.
Such was the case Tuesday night when the two region powerhouses met for the fifth time in the past seven seasons to determine who received the elusive ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. Clark defeated the Royals 61-39 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in six years.
Throughout the season, Clark was establishing a new identity after losing a senior-dominated star cast last season that finished 30-6 and reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament. That squad was expected to be playing on the big stage in March. This one had fewer expectations, but had a senior cast that had one chance to return to Rupp Arena, this time in the spotlight instead of watching from the sidelines.
“That just proves that preseason rankings don’t matter,” Clark senior Bopper Stenzel said. “It feels amazing (to be going back to Rupp Arena), because everybody doubted us at the beginning of the year and saying we lost everybody, but I knew this team could come back (and win the region). I knew we were going to be good.”
On paper, many didn’t expect the Cards to be one of 16 teams competing for a state championship. The preseason rankings had the Cardinals listed below the top of the pack and Clark opened the season by splitting four games, losing to Madison Central and Montgomery County, but caught fire following a 58-56 loss to the Indians and won 17 straight games. During the Christmas break, Clark won the Whitaker Bank Fort Herrod Classic at Mercer County High School and edged Rowan County to capture the prestigious Ashland Invitational at Ashland Blazer.
“We just went out there and played and then realized how good we were,” Stenzel said. “We weren’t trying to prove anything, we were just playing our style of basketball.”
Based on the team’s response following the loss to neighboring Montgomery County, it appeared the team’s successful turnaround began at that moment in time. However, the team’s mission to return to Rupp Arena began immediately after the 2010-11 season ended.
“After last year ended everybody told us how bad we would be, but we knew we were good,” Clark senior Adam Fatkin said. “We just worked hard every day during the off-season.”
During the final month of the regular season, the Cards lost in a rematch to Rowan County in Morehead, followed by setbacks to Woodford County and Simon Kenton. Clark rebounded down the stretch and carries a seven-game winning streak into the state tournament.
“People were doubting us, but we made it,” Clark senior Charlie Rogers said. “We proved people wrong.”
Whether it was making a point or simply just playing the game, the Cards gained trust in each other and the team chemistry carried over onto the court throughout the season.
“They trust each other,” Clark coach Scott Humphrey said. “You can tell that on the court. We don’t have to have one player have a special night for us to win.¿We talked about that coming into the (regional) tournament. Every team we go against has a really good player, and we need to try to keep them from having a special night and trust our team.”
The win over Mason County was indeed a special night, but the Cards are looking ahead to Wednesday’s 8 p.m. contest against Owensboro Apollo in the opening round of the Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena.
“I really don’t know what to expect yet,” Clark senior Taylor Howard said. “I’m just going to got out there, play ball, play good defense and hopefully get wins out of it.”
http://www.centralkynews.com/winchesters...3402.story