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For the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at George Rogers Clark High School, the early season continued to develop last week.

First, for the Lady Cards, a Thursday night match-up in Georgetown proved that the offense had much to deliver.

In a 70-52 victory over the Great Crossing Lady Warhawks, the duo of Ciara and Brianna Byars led the Lady Cards.

While the former scored a game-high 27 points, the latter was just behind with 20 of her own.

Great Crossing challenged the Lady Cards in the first half, taking a 33-28 lead into halftime.

However, GRC pulled away midway through the third quarter by outscoring the Lady Warhawks 18-11 en route to a 51-39 lead. A 7-0 run that saw their lead increase to 11 points punctuated the scoring barrage.

“Our shot selection was better. We were able to execute some, set some good screens, and get people open”, said head coach Robbie Graham. “[The] ball’s got to move, players got to move, and then we’ll get some easier baskets that way.”

The Lady Cards also slowed down the Warhawks’ offense, which stayed close early, thanks mainly to 15 points from Raegan Barrett and 14 points from Ava Schureman.

“We just [sat] down, and we guarded. [We] kept the ball in front of us”, Graham said. “We definitely got to be ready for post-defense.”

Two days later, the Lady Cards traveled to Edgewood for the Hoops4Harvest Tournament and a big match-up against highly-ranked Mercy Academy.

Unfortunately, the results wouldn’t be the same.

A strong fourth-quarter performance from the Lady Jaguars doomed the Lady Cards to a 65-53 defeat in a close game.

The team (2-1) looks to bounce back Wednesday night against Ryle at GRC Arena. The game time is 7:30 p.m.

On the boys’ side, their 10th Region opener Friday night against last season’s Region semifinalist Campbell County might have had some anxiety beforehand.

Nursing an ankle sprain, Trent Edwards was not in uniform and was replaced by senior Kareem Guerrant.

However, the Cards quickly put the crowd at ease.

Scoring the first five points of the game, they eventually built their lead to 34 while never trailing en route to an 80-61 victory.

“I was extremely pleased with them,” Coach Josh Cook said. “Step up, be coachable, let me adjust for you, let me help you, [and] let’s be prepared to…come out with a win and play at a high level.”

One player who stood out was senior Tyleik Maxwell, who finished with a double-double by registering 15 points and 11 rebounds.

However, perhaps the most prominent athlete to celebrate was senior guard Jerone Morton.

Already the school’s all-time leading scorer, Morton reached 2,000 career points as a Cardinal and was recognized by an appreciative crowd halfway through the second quarter as the Cards built a double-digit lead.

The recognition caught even Morton by surprise.

“I didn’t even know I was close, but…it felt good”, he said. “I’m grateful for it, and I thank God for it, and I’m just happy.”

“It’s awesome [and] well deserved,” Cook said. “He’s just a special player, and he’s done it in a lot of ways, but most importantly, he’s done it playing to win for his team.”

Ayden Hamilton finished with 17 points for Campbell County, while Jaiden Combs added 12.

The Cards’ next game will be Tuesday night against Madison Central at GRC Arena. The game time is 7:30 p.m.