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Entering Friday night, it had been over 365 days since the Kentucky high school basketball world had seen George Rogers Clark High School senior and University of Michigan commit Ciara Byars in uniform. 

That came to an end at GRC Arena. 

Byars made her long-awaited return to the basketball court in GRC’s doubleheader against Paris, continuing play into the weekend when the Lady Cards competed in Louisville. 

“It felt amazing [to] play in front of the home crowd and play with my teammates again,” Byars said. “It’s been a long time since I played in a full game and played in that uniform.” 

Against the Paris Lady Greyhounds, who entered the game with an impressive 15-2 record, the Lady Cards got out to a fast start and never looked back. 

Led by a game-high 20 points from Kennedy Stamper, the Lady Cards built a 24-point lead by halftime and cruised to a 79-23 victory. 

“I thought we had a good first quarter,” said GRC head xoach Robbie Graham. “I thought we played a lot better in the second half.” 

Byars – who finished with 8 points – scored her first points on a drive toward the basket midway through the second quarter. 

“I had to work for it,” she said in jest. “It’s just a surreal moment. I’ve prepared for this and practiced. My teammates helped me get back in the flow.” 

After the game, the team took time to recognize Coach Graham on achieving 300 wins following their previous victory against Butler College Prep (IL) in Ohio. 

“It’s about the program…I’ve had great coaches with me from day one… [and] we’ve been fortunate to have some great players,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed coaching this program, but it’s about us.” 

Following GRC’s victory, it was the Cards’ turn to take the floor. 

The starting lineup looked a bit different, with sophomore JaMylyn Johnson being featured for the first time. 

“I was very excited,” said Johnson, who finished with 7 points and multiple assists. “I just had to come out…and show [others] I could play basketball.” 

Much like the Lady Cards, the Cards got off to a fast start. 

After building a 30-point halftime lead of their own, highlighted by a 21-0 run to start the second quarter, the Cards continued pulling away in the second half en route to a 79-46 win. 

“Any time you get a district win, you’ve got to be pleased with that,” he said. “[We] were able to use a lot of different lineups, and [were] able to use our bench.” 

Eleven different players scored, with Maddox Hager, Conner Morguson, and Malachi Ashford each in double figures. 

While the Cards had the weekend off, the Lady Cards headed to Mercy Academy High School in Louisville for the Raatz Fence/O’Shea’s Basketball Classic. 

Their opponent – the multiple-time defending Region 2 champion Henderson County Lady Colonels – would not be an easy foe. 

Although the Lady Cards built a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter, the Lady Colonels battled to make GRC’s lead as little as 2 points in the second half. 

Nevertheless, GRC responded. 

In a game they never trailed, the Lady Cards pulled away late for a 55-49 victory. 

“Henderson County’s a good program…we knew they were [going to] play hard and it was going to be a competitive game,” said Coach Graham. “We’ve had some wide margins of victory here lately. We’ve got to have some games like this…[to] see how we respond against a good team.” 

For her 15-point performance, sophomore Kennedy Stamper was named the game’s MVP. 

Senior Jailenn Green also played a big role during the weekend, scoring 31 points over the two games. 

When asked what contributed to such, she responded. 

“Just moving without the ball, and getting what [points] I can,” Green said. 

The Lady Cards (11-5) and Cards (14-3) will both be in action again this week, beginning with 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. home matchups against Bourbon County on Tuesday, January 28th.