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As has often been mentioned, winter is an exciting time for George Rogers Clark High School basketball. 

However, it can be argued that no day in the regular season was more eventful than Wednesday, Feb. 12. 

One day after inclement weather caused a postponement, the Lady Cards (17-7) hosted #1-ranked Sacred Heart (22-2), while the Cards (20-4) hosted #2-ranked Great Crossing (23-4). 

While both teams came up short in their ultimate goal of victory, the event known as the C3DC – or Clark County Child Development Center – Classic brought out several fans and professionals statewide as well as several local organizations, such as the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce. 

Both games were also broadcast live on PrepSpin and The CW Network. 

“Kudos to [Bo Harris] and his wife for sponsoring the event [and putting] it on,” said George Rogers Clark Girls Basketball Coach Robbie Graham, who spoke with Boys Basketball Coach Josh Cook about preparing the event as well. “[We] thought it would be a tremendous atmosphere…and it is.” 

The Lady Cards, who had fallen 68-42 to Sacred Heart earlier this year, got an early lead and held a 1-point advantage at halftime in what was a competitive game from start to finish. 

They were led by four players shooting in double figures, including 16 by Kennedy Stamper and 14 points from Ciara Byars. 

However, led by 28 points from Amirah “Tootie” Jordan and 26 points from LSU commit ZaKiyah Johnson, the Valkyries – who have a 92-game win streak against in-state competition – came back for an 80-68 victory. 

Coach Graham, whose team is ranked #2 statewide by a majority of polls, had a message for the team postgame. 

“We told [them] we have forty days to chase them down,” he said. “All of our goals are still in play…tomorrow’s another day in practice.” 

Afterward, the Cards – riding a 55-game home win streak – took on the Great Crossing Warhawks. 

The highly-ranked Cards, who are ranked in the top 10 or top 15 by most polls, battled strong and – after a steal and score by Montez Gay in the final seconds of the third quarter – were tied with the Warhawks at 37. 

However, a strong fourth quarter and late run by Great Crossing spelled doom. 

The Cards were outscored 18-6 in the final period, and fell at home for the first time since March 3, 2021, in a 55-43 defeat. 

“There’s a lot to be proud of there…[we’re] not satisfied…[but] we’re going to try to build off this,” he said. 

Reflecting on the home winning streak, Coach Cook shared some thoughts. 

“The kids [of this program] have been phenomenal,” he said. “We’ve had some special teams come through [and] some special players who always played for a bigger purpose.” 

Interestingly, the Cards – who were held to a season-low 43 points in their loss – had their two highest scoring outputs in the prior games. 

A 102-58 victory over Scott (9-14) saw the team enter triple digits for the first time since 2023, and a 92-55 victory over Dunbar (3-21) ended the weekend on a high note. 

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, they had defeated Lexington Catholic (17-9) 76-59 in Winchester. 

That same day, the Lady Cards defeated Montgomery County (17-9) 69-38 in Mt. Sterling, and followed up with a 66-53 victory in a rematch with highly-ranked Assumption (17-5) – who they’d defeated 58-52 earlier this season – and a commanding 83-24 victory over Paris (21-5) early Sunday afternoon.

After a Thursday victory against Woodford County (13-9) – who defeated GRC 57-46 earlier this year – in the Joe B. Hall & Denny Crum Classic in Mt. Sterling, the Cards will head to Mercer County (16-7) for a 5:30 p.m. matchup against the Titans on Saturday, Feb. 15. 

That same day, the Lady Cards head to Park Hills for a 3:30 matchup against the Notre Dame Lady Pandas (19-4).