GRC Hoops is headed back to Rupp Arena for the second straight year after beating arch rival Montgomery County for the fourth time this year, 74-47. 

The Cardinals now have won seven region titles in 10 years and six of them coming in the last seven years.

The win means coach Robbie Graham has won his seventh region championship and now has the most 10th Region girls championships of all time. 

Somehow though in all his time at GRC and after all his success, he has yet to win 10th Region coach of the year. Graham though has never been one to want all the attention and is just happy for his teams.  

“They’re all special,” he told WWKY after the game Sunday. “None are any more special than the others. Each year a different kid gets to experience this. Get to climb that ladder and cut those nets down, so from the first one to this one they’re all special to me.”  

In Sunday’s championship, freshman Anaya Chestnut had the hot hand and led the team in scoring with 18 points, all from deep, hitting six three pointers.

She wasn’t the only one hot from beyond the arc though. Eighth grader Kennedy Stamper knocked down three 3s, finished with 15 points and was 50 percent from the floor.  

After some shooting woes earlier in the year, the Cards shot 40 percent from 3-point land in the championship, and Coach Graham knew they would start to fall sooner rather than later.    

“I kept saying all year long, one of these games it’s going to happen,” he said. “We work too hard every day on our shooting and it finally clicked at the right time. When we are making shots it opens the floor for everybody in our post game and Ciara and Brianna are a load down there to guard.”  

The Cardinals went into the halftime break with a 15-point lead and the Byars sisters had five points each. In the third quarter though the Cards scored 18 points and 16 of them came from either Ciara or Brianna.

Brianna achieved an individual milestone by becoming the all-time leading scorer in GRC Hoops history, finishing with 17 points and four rebounds.

“My reaction to winning was sentimental,” Byars said, “considering we have won every year I have been here except the 20-21 season when we lost in the semifinals, but really it runs deeper than that due to it being my last region tournament with my sister and being a Cardinal ever.”

Ciara finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds, only one board away from a double-double.

One of the big reasons the Cards played so well Sunday was the unselfish play with continued movement and sharing of the ball. The team finished with 13 assists and Coach Graham believes his offense is at their best when his players are sharing the ball. 

“Those ball moves were so much better offensively and are extremely hard to guard when the ball is moving side to side,” Coach said. “Then we kicked it in and then kicked it back out for the open shot. When the ball moves we’re a heck of an offensive team.” 

Defensively the Cards played really well, forcing 14 turnovers and scoring 19 points off of them. They were able to hold the Indians to just 27 percent from the field on the night, and held arguably Montgomery’s best player Hayden Barrier to just 12 points on 3 of 18 from the field. 

It was a fantastic performance Sunday from Hoops who will be one of the hot teams once again heading into the state tournament.

They’ll get the Mercer County Titans in the first round, who the Cards have already beaten once this year but only by six.

They’ll begin state tournament play Wednesday night at six at Rupp Arena, in hopes to win the state title.      

“I’m thankful for our coaches and all the help they provide, along with our parents and their support,” Graham said. “It’s been a joy to head this program and we’re going to keep this thing going for a while.”