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George Rogers Clark High School’s basketball teams compete in the 40th District. 

Both the highly-ranked Cards and Lady Cards basketball teams started off competition with dominant displays. 

Each team went undefeated to start district play last week, defeating teams from Bourbon County and Montgomery County High Schools. 

“It was a good start for us,” said George Rogers Clark Boys Basketball Assistant Coach Bryce Gomes. 

“[We’re] glad to get that first district game win,” said GRC Girls Basketball Head Coach Robbie Graham, speaking after the team’s victory over Bourbon County. 

In both team’s first matchups at Bourbon County on Tuesday, January 14, the teams were coming off a longer than usual time off following postponements due to weather from the week before. 

After a slow start, Graham turned to his bench. 

An impressive response occurred, as the Lady Cards’ bench – led by a game-high 22 total points from Kyleigh Chestnut – blitzed the Colonels on a 16-0 run. 

From there, they convincingly moved on to an 87-19 victory. 

“I wasn’t really paying attention to how much I scored, but…that’s pretty good,” Chestnut said. “You just [have] to work on your fundamentals.” 

Next up, the Cards took on the Colonels. 

The event was a homecoming of sorts for GRC junior Amari Bartelson, who previously played for Bourbon County. 

Bartleson was sure to make it a solid night. 

Scoring 15 points, Bartelson helped lead the team to a dominant 88-50 victory. 

“I didn’t look at it like I was playing my rival…I just felt like it was a regular game,” he said. “We all had intensity and [were] ready to play.” 

Two days later, on Thursday, January 16, rival Montgomery County came to GRC Arena. 

As they’ve done in prior contests, the Lady Cards established control early. 

Led in large part by Teigh Yeast, who finished with 20 points, GRC jumped out to a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter, eventually moving on to a 72-30 win over the Lady Indians. 

Defensively, they held Montgomery County without a field goal until more than halfway through the second period. 

“We wanted to come out with a quick start. We wanted to pressure the ball, get some turnovers, [and] try to turn those into easy baskets,” Graham said. “I felt like we did that.” 

Following the Lady Cards’ contest, senior Ciara Byars – recovering and expected to return from an ACL injury suffered in January 2024 – was recognized by the home crowd for being nominated as a prestigious McDonald’s All American. 

“For her to make it to where she is now, what an accomplishment!” said Coach Graham. “[She’s a] tremendous young lady.” 

Next up, the Cards took on the Indians. 

While an early 16-point lead proved promising, the team nevertheless saw some adversity. 

Early foul trouble forced Montez Gay and Maddox Hager – two of the top post players in GRC’s lineup – to the bench. 

Thus, reserves such as Cole Rose and Maddox Campbell were called on in the second quarter. 

Helping shut down the opponent and keep the momentum going, the Cards eventually moved on to a 73-47 victory. 

“[We’re] just trying to stay locked in no matter what,” said Campbell, who finished with four points. 

“Our depth was really good tonight,” said Head Coach Josh Cook. “It’s important just to practice and be patient while you wait.” 

Interestingly enough, Hager would nevertheless tie Malachi Ashford for the team lead with 16 points. 

Over the weekend, both teams stayed busy. 

On Saturday, the Cards headed to Berea to play defending 5th Region Champion Adair County in the Bill Smallwood Classic. 

Though GRC looked to be in trouble down by 12 at halftime, resilience proved key. 

Surging forward, the team tied the game with four seconds left at 54 to send it to overtime on a clutch three-point basket by Eli Craig, who would ultimately finish as GRC’s MVP. 

However, in the extra period, a three-point basket by Adair County’s Isaiah Cochrane with six seconds remaining proved to be the decisive basket as the Cards fell in a 62-61 overtime thriller. 

GRC’s Malachi Ashford – with a defender in his face – got a shot off as time expired which, although it hung on the rim for a moment, fell just outside the net to preserve the Adair County victory. 

During a weekend in Ohio, in which they played in both the Classic in the City and MLK Showdown, the Lady Cards were victorious. 

Earning MVP honors for both games, Yeast scored 19 points in the team’s 75-42 victory over Crestwood (Ontario, CA) and 16 points in the team’s 61-41 win against Butler College Prep (Chicago, IL). 

The Cards (12-3) return to action with a matchup against host Tates Creek (7-9) on Tuesday, January 21, at 7:30 p.m. 

Both teams will host Paris High School on Friday, January 24th, with the Lady Cards (9-5) scheduled to tip-off at 6:00 p.m. and the Cards scheduled to do so at 7:30 p.m.