By Keith Taylor

Special to The Sun

The stage is set for the postseason.

The George Rogers Clark boys and girls basketball teams will be the top seeds when the 40th District Tournament begins Monday at the MCHS Arena in Mount Sterling.

In the tournament opener, the Lady Cardinals (20-6) will take on No. 4 seed Montgomery County (7-20) at 6 p.m. Monday, followed by second-seeded Bourbon County (11-16) and Paris, the No. 3 seed, at 7:45 p.m.

The winners will meet in the championship game set for 7 p.m. on Feb. 21.

The Lady Cardinals have won four straight district titles in the past five years under the direction of Robbie Graham. Clark won the 10th Region Tournament for the second time in four years and lost to eventual champion Mercer County in the quarterfinals. The Lady Cardinals finished 30-5 last season.

On the boys’ side, Clark (25-3) is the top seed for the first time in six years and will take on fourth-seeded Bourbon County (9-17) at 6 p.m. on Feb. 20. No. 2 seed Paris (19-6), the three-time defending champion, will play host Montgomery County (12-14) in the nightcap at 7:45 p.m.

The finals will be at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22 in Mount Sterling.

Clark won the district and 10th Region titles in 2012, losing to eventual champion Louisville Trinity in the quarterfinals, but hasn’t captured a district or region championship in six years.

Montgomery County won back-to-back championships in 2013-14, while Paris has claimed the past three titles.

40th District Tourney

Boys

Feb. 20

6 p.m., Clark (25-3) vs. Bourbon County (9-17)

7:45 p.m., Paris (19-6) vs. Montgomery County (12-14)

Feb. 22

Finals, 7 p.m.

Clark-Bourbon winner vs. Paris-Montgomery winner

Girls

Monday

6 p.m., Clark (20-6) vs. Montgomery County (7-20)

7:45 p.m., Bourbon (11-16) vs. Paris (20-8)

Wednesday

Finals, 7 p.m.

Clark-Montgomery winner vs. Paris-Bourbon winner