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Thanks to the Beer Cheese Festival, the city of Winchester was a sight during the weekend of June 13. 

However, just before then and during, there were plenty of other visitors to the area. 

The George Rogers Clark High School girls basketball team – who finished as state runner-up in 2025 – hosted over 50 teams from three states, many of whom were top-ranked and came to play other top-calibre competition. 

“It’s a summer, NCAA-live event…we’re really pleased that we’re the site that gets to host this,” said GRC Head Coach Robbie Graham. “It’s been a tremendous undertaking…I think a lot of people have enjoyed it. [We’ve received] tons of thank you’s” 

As has been previously mentioned, top competition from the weekend included defending state champion Sacred Heart, as well as fellow region championship winning teams Henderson County (2nd), Mercy (6th), Simon Kenton (8th), Cooper (9th), Frederick Douglass (11th), North Laurel (13th), Johnson Central (15th), and Ashland Blazer (16th). 

The teams played at a number of locations, including both GRC’s main and auxiliary gyms, College Park, Robert D. Campbell Junior High School, and Baker Intermediate School. 

On Thursday, one of the Lady Cards’ opponents included perennial 15th Region contender Pikeville. 

After a blistering start, the Lady Cards – playing with slightly different rules than what would be expected once the season starts – broke out for a dominant lead en route to a 43-point victory. 

Following Friday matchups, which included their junior varsity team being given an opportunity to play Bullitt East High School’s squad and their varsity squad playing Spring Valley High School from West Virginia, the Lady Cards played three consecutive squads on Saturday – including a defending Ohio state champion in Pickerington Central. 

The team came out victorious in a 49-37 win. 

Incoming senior Teigh Yeast scored the team’s first five points. 

“I think we turned [the intensity] up a lot as a team…that was a really good team to play,” she said. “We played really good together today.” 

When all was said and done, the Lady Cards’ varsity squad had won all of its games at the tournament for a 5-0 record. 

Yet wins and losses weren’t all. 

Coach Graham explained what many coaches look for in summer basketball. 

“We just want to compete,” he said. “We’re looking for competitiveness, camaraderie, [and] closeness.” 

The sentiment was echoed by Simon Kenton Head Coach Jeff Stowers, whose Lady Pioneers’ squad won the 8th Region Championship last year to advance to the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 basketball tournament. 

“You [are] always looking for the competition…this was great for us to come down,” he said. “This is our second year coming…if you got girls that [aspire] to play college basketball, this is the place to come.” 

On that note, the event included a slew of recruiters watching from different schools – including Eastern Kentucky University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and many more. 

A hospitality room – featuring several types of soups, sandwiches, a variety of desserts, and more – was also present for coaches, media, and others. 

When the final game ended on Saturday, the event – which also livestreamed games through BallerTV – proved to be a success. 

“What a great weekend we’ve had,” Coach Graham added.