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Pomp and circumstance was the order of the evening last Thursday and Friday for the George Rogers Clark Cards and Lady Cards as senior night was celebrated.

The class of 2023 claimed victory over Henry Clay (75-38) and Scott (85-56), respectively.

“It’s always emotional because you have three players that you’ve coached and you’ve [become] close to,” said Lady Cards head coach Robbie Graham. “They all have things they’ve done in our program that are important. [We] appreciate who they are.”

While seniors Brianna Byars and Trinity Gay were in the starting lineup per usual, fellow senior Brook Taylor replaced Anaya Chestnut at the outset.

Not one to be overlooked, Taylor helped create a turnover on Henry Clay’s initial possession as GRC (17-6) broke out to an early lead.

“It was kind of nerve-wracking, but once I got out there, I started feeling confident,” she said. “The atmosphere was really great. My teammates had great energy, and we just went out and played.”

Though the Blue Devils would, at one point, narrow the lead to six points in the second quarter, the Lady Cards came out from the locker room after halftime and never looked back.

Following a 28-point third quarter, the Lady Cards never looked back as they stormed out to a season-high 75 points in their 75-38 victory.

“The first quarter was pretty efficient. The third quarter was definitely efficient”, Graham added. “We can continue to grow from those things. I like where we are and where we can be.”

Three players – Kennedy Stamper, Ciara Byars, and Brianna Byars – tied for the team lead with 15 points

“The first quarter was pretty efficient. The third quarter was definitely efficient”,” Graham added. “We can continue to grow from those things. I like where we are and where we can be.”

Three players – Kennedy Stamper, Ciara Byars, and Brianna Byars – tied for the team lead with 15 points.

The Lady Cards won a late matchup Friday against Mercer County and face a challenge this week when they take on #1-ranked Sacred Heart at GRC Arena. Gametime is 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday

The next night, the Cards (18-4) took to the court against Scott.

Like the night before, the lineup was somewhat different.

While seniors Jerone Morton, Sam Parrish, Trent Edwards, and Tyleik Maxwell all found themselves in routine starting positions, senior Kareem Guerrant – who recently committed to Union College to play football – started in place of Reshaun Hampton.

“[They are] such a special class. They’ve forever changed our program,” said Cards’ head coach Josh Cook. “It’s good to see them go out and have some fun.”

Though prognosticators all seemed to predict Clark as the winner, the Eagles were determined early on to play spoiler.

Surprising many, the Eagles jumped out to an early lead and were up by as much as six points in the 2nd quarter.

However, led by 27 points from Edwards, the Cards came roaring back for an 8-point halftime lead.

They would break the game open in the third quarter and cruised to an 85-56 win.

“It was a good night for the seniors. We just passed the ball and scored,” Edwards said.

Perhaps appropriately, the next two leading scorers for the Cards were seniors Morton (21) and Parrish (12).

Two of the three returning starters from last year’s state championship-winning squad, the two, along with Edwards, will be a household name to GRC enthusiasts for some time to come.

“We’ve got to keep on with our kids as they [have] got to keep on staying focused on each other,” Cook said.”Night in and night out, [if] you just do your job…things take care of itself.”

The Cards also face a challenge as they travel to Lexington Tuesday night to take on highly-ranked Frederick Douglass. Gametime is 7:30 p.m.