WinCity basketball found themselves in the state title game for the second straight year, and were one win away from back-to-back state titles. The Cardinals fell just short though in a 64-60 loss to the Warren Central Dragons.

The day started out against a two-loss Frederick Douglass team, one of the hottest teams in the state. The Cardinals were able to build a 12-point lead in the first half, but saw it go away late.

 The lead was four at the three-minute mark, when Jerone Morton drove down the lane in transition, and just slammed one in on a Douglass player that drew an and-one and sent the Clark County fans into a frenzy. The free throw gave GRC a seven-point lead and the Cardinals never looked back. 

They were able to pull out a 51-44 win over the Broncos to head back to the Championship game. Morton finished with 20 points and led the team in scoring, with Sam Parrish right behind him with 13.  

After the Final Four win, the Cards had to turn around and play in a state championship game just four hours later, against the team they beat last year to win the state championship 

GRC started the game slower than normal, falling behind 12-6 early. Warren Central’s defense was fantastic and the Cards had to take a lot of contested shots. The Dragons were able to maintain their six-point lead after the opening quarter. 

Every time GRC would cut the lead down, the Dragons seemed to always answer with a run of their own. There was a moment early in the second quarter when Morton hit a three to cut the lead to just two, but Central answered quickly. Damarion Walkup hit two threes back to back that put the Dragons back up eight. 

The Cardinals were able to cut the lead to just six with seconds left in the half and had all the momentum, but Izayiah Villafuerte dribbled down the floor quickly and just threw up a junk three that he banked in at the buzzer. The lucky three turned out to be a pretty big shot in the game and it would be the only basket he made in the whole game. The Cards trailed by nine going into the half. 

The third quarter was when Warren Central really built their lead thanks to Kade Unseld scoring 10 points in a minute and a half of play and sparked a run to give the Dragons a 16-point lead in the third quarter. 

GRC fought like heck though and cut the lead to ten at the end of the third, and head coach Josh Cook was extremely proud of how his team didn’t quit when they got down so much and how they continued to fight. 

“Our guys fought,” he said. “I think it defined our team when you saw us get down and you saw a team that played with such a sense of urgency and fight. You gotta think, these guys were gassed. What they’ve experienced in 48 hours and the level of competition they had to play, and to be right there and have a chance to win it again.”  

The fight was able to give the Cardinals a chance in the fourth quarter, after they went on a 6-0 run to trail by just four and were right back in it with plenty of time to go. They were able to cut the lead to three with two minutes remaining but just couldn’t get enough baskets to fall late to tie or take the lead. 

The Cardinals trailed by just two with nine seconds to go, but they had to foul and the Dragons made both their free throws to secure their state championship. 

GRC finished 30-6 on the year and made yet another fantastic run in the state tournament after winning another region championship. 

Cook emphasized how much he loves his team. “I wouldn’t trade them for anybody else,” he said. “I said that about competitive toughness, I’ll tell you, it’s because of their heart. Their heart, it’s in the right place, and I’d ride with them until the end. Unfortunately, that’s today.” 

Morton and Parrish were major reasons GRC was able to climb back in the game, driving to the lane and getting zero calls and knocking down some big shots. Morton led the team with 23 points and Sam right behind him with 17. 

Morton was pretty emotional after the game but said he will always be thankful for getting to play for such a great program. “I’m just thankful for what God gave me,” said the Morehead State commit. “The ability that He gave me and for Coach Cook and my teammates. It just doesn’t feel real that it’s over. Things happen for a reason and I’m just glad and happy that we’re here.”  

Morton, Parrish, and Trent Edwards were on the podium post-game and Coach Cook talked about how much those three meant to the GRC program. 

“I’m gonna miss their competitiveness,” he said. “They are who they are. That’s my coaching philosophy. The old school days of me saying I want to change you to be this. I want them to decide who they want to be and I want them to be their own personality. My job is to guide them; my job is to be there for them and accept them. My job is not to change them. I’m gonna miss them because they are unique in their own way and I love who they are. When you learn to be a part of that, you learn as a coach, and they become your family. I love who they are and I’ll miss them and I’m forever thankful for them.” 

This team was doubted by a lot of people, and had some haters, but this team made yet another run, and there isn’t a program or coach who have had such great success like this in the past few years. 

“Social media is very toxic, and we’ve built a program where, and I’m gonna fight for it, because we’ve built a program that kids want to be a part of,” Cook said. “You come, you play unselfish, you sacrifice. You got coaches that will fight for you. You have a community that loves it. There are a lot of people who don’t like that we’ve built a heck of a program. We’ll win a region, and there will be a new burner account saying stuff about GRC basketball. These kids are high school kids who have to deal with this. You know what they do? They keep fighting. They keep fighting for each other. I’m forever proud of that because in the end that’s what life is about. Show some toughness, stick together, and do something bigger than yourself.”    

It was a heck of a ride for this WinCity basketball team and to go State Champions and State Runners-Up is something really special. They have all fought like crazy and played their hearts out for each other.