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The last week of January and opening week of February posed an interesting lineup for George Rogers Clark High School basketball squads. 

With the GRC winter soiree taking place on Feb. 3rd, a rare gameless Saturday occurred. 

However, there was still plenty of action. 

The Lady Cards (22-2) and Cards (22-1) each prevailed in Friday night matchups to improve their records as the regular season draws nearer to an end. 

Following Tuesday’s matchups, in which both teams secured the #1 seeds for the 40th District Tournament, the Lady Cards stayed home on Friday night to take on Fleming County (13-7) of the 16th Region.

The game presented a unique situation for GRC Lady Cards’ head coach Robbie Graham, an alum of the school. 

Noting that he had more of a relationship with some people associated with the program, Graham emphasized nevertheless trying to take the same approach. 

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to win the game no matter who’s on the other sideline,” he said. “It was nice though.” 

As for the Lady Cards, the results were business as usual. 

The team jumped out a 31-point halftime lead, and went on to a convincing 61-21 victory. 

“We knew it was [going to] be a tough, physical game. We wanted to try to get some early turnovers…[to] control tempo,”  Graham said. “The kids played hard. They competed.” 

A well-balanced offensive attack saw four players score in double figures. 

While junior Jailenn Green led with 13 points, freshman Kennedy Stamper finished just behind with 12. 

Eighth-grader Kyleigh Chestnut scored 11 points, while sophomore Teigh Yeast had 10. 

“It just shows we pass the ball a lot. We definitely share the ball,” said Stamper. “We’re not a selfish team.” 

The school and athletic program also took time to honor its inaugural 1974-75 Lady Cards’ team, which went 22-3 and advanced to the KHSAA Sweet 16 after winning the district and region championships. 

As for the boys’ team, the Cards traveled north to Taylor Mill to take on the Scott Eagles (11-12). 

Playing in front of a supportive home crowd on Senior Night, the Eagles kept the score even after the first quarter at 12-12 with senior Xarek Sarakatsannis leading the way with 12 points in the contest. 

However, with seniors Breland Morrison and Reshaun Hampton tying for the team lead with 19 points each, the Cards began to pull away in the second quarter, featuring an 8-0 run and ending with a 31-25 halftime lead. 

Extending their lead to 11 points by the end of the third period, the Cards moved on for a convincing 73-57 road victory.

All five Cards’ scorers ended the evening by scoring in double figures. 

The Lady Cards continue play this week with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Christian Academy-Louisville (11-10) in GRC Arena on Monday, followed by a much-anticipated matchup on Friday at 6:30 p.m. against three-time defending KHSAA State Champion Sacred Heart (17-7) at St. Xavier High School in Louisville. 

The Cards (22-1) will have 7:30 p.m. matchups at GRC Arena on Tuesday and Thursday against Frederick Douglass (16-6) and Madison Southern (15-7), followed by a much-anticipated matchup against #1-ranked Great Crossing (23-1) on Saturday in Georgetown at 4:30 p.m.