The George Rogers Clark girls basketball team will begin their journey to Rupp Arena and searching for their third consecutive 10th Region championship.

The Cardinals have won six straight 40th District championships and are awaiting the challenge of the  St. Patrick Lady Saints Thursday at Montgomery County.

Head coach Robbie Graham said the team is ready to take on the region.

“We’re very excited,” he said. “It’s the best time of the year. It doesn’t get any better than this and we have one of the best regions in the state. We have some good teams and it’s going to be a battle, but we’re looking forward it.”

The Cards have faced a numerous amount of injuries to key players this season.

As if it needed to get worse, sickness has struck the team and Graham is unsure of who will be able to play.

“We don’t know the status of some players yet,” he said. “We’ve had some sickness that have hit us. We’re not sure who we’ll have or who we won’t have. Our injuries have gotten better, but I’m really not sure of the status of some of our girls.”

Graham said his team has learned to adjust and be ready for whoever’s name is called to step up when needed.

“We always talk about the next girl up,” he said. “You never know when your number is going to be called. You are a sprained ankle away or someone getting sick for more playing time. We try to make sure everyone is ready. We make sure everyone is on the same page because you never know who is going to step up.”

Graham said his team has focused on preparing for different defenses.

“We’ve been focused on us and played some pick up,” he said. “We did some drill work that we did early on in the season. It’s been a lot about us like working on zone offenses and other zones things. We’re going to do us. It’s been an adjustment for us. We’ve not wanted to go too hard or too long and we’re not used to playing on the second day of the tournament. We’re used to being one of the first teams to play.”

Graham said his team’s defense will need to be on lock to survive and advance

“We’re going to have to pressure the ball and create turnovers,” he said. “We can’t allow any open shots and we’re going to have to attack the basket. We’re going to have to be aggressive on both ends of the floor and control the game.”

Tipoff against St. Patrick will be 7:45 p.m. at Montgomery County.