The George Rogers Clark Cardinals dominated the Montgomery County Indians for the third time this year as the Indians went down hard 82-36 in the first round of the 40th District tournament Monday.

GRC wasted no time figuring out the pace of the game as they went up 12-0 two minutes into the game to lead Montgomery into calling a timeout.

The tempo did not slow up as GRC held firmly onto a 32-6 lead after the first quarter. 

Jasmine Flowers was a perfect 5/5 from three in the first and finished 7/8 from behind the arc in the first half for all 23 of her points.

The Cards finished the job without 10th Region Player of the Year in Kennedy Igo and First Team All-Region selection Hayley Harrison who sat the game with injuries.

The dominant performance by GRC did not allow Montgomery to find their rhythm and the Cards coasted through the second half.

With nine different players scoring for the Cards, head coach Robbie Graham felt like his team came out and took care of business right away.

“We were really focused coming out,” he said. “We have a veteran team. It’s tough to beat a team three times, but I felt our experience come out. We were really sharp. We did great on defense. We forced them to turn it over and we created easy shots for us. We put a lot of pressure on the ball and got them frustrated early. The game went on and we continued to get our hands on balls. We shared the ball and looked for each other. Jasmine was on fire from three and our girls were looking for her and she kept hitting shots.”

Graham said his team has been able to adjust despite missing Igo and Harrison because of the way they trust each other and play as one.

“We would love to have those two in uniform,” he said. “Great kids and players. We’ve got to move on though. They won’t let us stop playing because they’re hurt. We have young girls that will step up and older girls that will step up. Everybody is involved in our practice sessions. We tell them all the time, ‘You’re one ankle sprain away from getting minutes in a game. You have to always be ready.’”

Flowers led all scorers with 23 points. Erica Berry followed with 10 points.

Trinity Gay, Brianna Byars, Maleaha Bell and Tyra Flowers all chipped in eight points a piece.

GRC will face Bourbon County in the championship, who the Cards have beat by 30 or more in both match ups.

Graham said his team has already been preparing for each team in the district tournament.

“We’ve already watched film,” he said. “We’ve prepared and have played them both twice already. We don’t have a preference on who we play. We know we are going to play a good team in the district championship game. We’re focused and ready to go. We have goals in mind and we’re thankful to still be playing. We’re guaranteed a spot in the region tournament and district championship so we are glad to be moving on.”

Tipoff will be 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bourbon County.