Two of Kentucky’s best teams forced to square off in opening round of Girls’ Sweet 16
The Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Sweet 16 will offer a championship-caliber game Thursday night at Rupp Arena after last month’s KHSAA random draw rolled out a 7th Region versus 10th Region first-round matchup that would inevitably become No. 1 Sacred Heart against No. 4 George Rogers Clark.
It’s a battle that was a state semifinal last year, a state quarterfinal the year before and will be an early exit this season for one of the state tournament’s best teams. The game is set for 6 p.m. Thursday as the third game of the Sweet 16’s second day of action.
“It is what it is. You can’t control it,” Clark coach Robbie Graham said of the draw. “It’s going to be a battle against a three-time defending state champion. … They’re talented. They have a great coach — one of the best coaches all-time in the state of Kentucky — and then it doesn’t hurt when you have Z (ZaKiyah Johnson), a top-five player in the nation who can do it all.”
Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir joked that she actually expected her Valkyries to draw No. 2 Cooper’s 9th Region in the opening round as she watched the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s draw show on Feb. 12.
Cooper eliminated Covington Holy Cross, the No. 3-rated team in the final Dave Cantrall Ratings of the regular season. While Sacred Heart avoided the Jaguars in the first round, it could see them in Saturday’s semifinals if both advance.
“That bottom bracket is loaded,” she said. “It’s going to be tough.”
Clark (30-4) has remained one of the state’s top contenders despite the loss of leading scorer Ciara Byars to a knee injury on Jan. 6.
Byars, a 6-foot-2 junior with multiple college offers including Louisville and Kentucky, was averaging 14.1 points per game and was a huge part of the Cardinals’ run last year that included close losses to Sacred Heart in both the regular season (54-53) and the state semis (57-53).
“It was definitely very devastating, but we had a game around the corner and we had to lock back in,” Clark freshman guard Kennedy Stamper said of Byars’ injury. “She’s out, but she’s with us mentally all the time. We can’t wait for her to be back, but that doesn’t change the goal. We’re still making it to Rupp. We’re still doing our thing.”
Moir notched the 800th win of her career in Sacred Heart’s 7th Region championship victory over Manual on Saturday. That’s third on Kentucky’s all-time girls coaching list.
The Valkyries (27-7) aim for more history this week in trying to become the first program to win four consecutive state titles. Sacred Heart has seven titles total and has done a three-peat twice.
The ultimate overdog again this year features an array of standout players around Johnson, a two-time Kentucky Gatorade player of the year, who averages 18.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and has her pick of top college offers, such as defending national champion Louisiana State. Then there’s co-7th Region player of the year Reagan Bender (13.5 points) and 6-foot-3 North Carolina-Wilmington signee Angelina Pelayo (10.1 points).
“Our kids are just really focused and our practices the last couple of weeks have been amazing,” said Moir whose program is also on a 69-game win streak against in-state opponents. “They push each other and want to be better. … Our kids are just dialed in.”
Clark has its own rich tradition with 16 Sweet 16 appearances as 10th Region champions which include three in a row and seven of the last eight. Stamper and junior guard Jailenn Green lead the Cards with 11.7 and 10.8 points, respectively.
“We don’t fear them at all,” Graham said of Sacred Heart. “We respect them because they are such a great team.”
Clark played a close game with Sacred Heart at St. Xavier in Louisville on Feb. 9 that was tied at 38 after three quarters. The Valkyries pulled away to a 61-49 win.
“After the game, I told our team, ‘You don’t win the game after three quarters, you’ve got to play four,’” Graham said. “Every time you make a mistake, they capitalize on it. So, you’ve got to correct those mistakes, you’ve got to value the basketball and you’ve got to play smart. … Everything matters.”
Stamper said the Cardinals learned a lot from playing the Valkyries earlier in the season. She’s looking forward to the rematch.
“It’s the first game, against a super tough team, between two of the best teams in the state, so, it’s definitely going to be a really good game,” she said. “I’m excited for it.”
2024 Girls’ Sweet 16
What: Sixteen-team tournament to decide Kentucky’s high school basketball state champion.
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Rupp Arena
Tickets: Tickets available for purchase at KHSAA.org/tickets.
Girls’ Sweet 16 schedule
WEDNESDAY’S FIRST-ROUND GAMES
11 a.m.: Bowling Green (23-10) vs. Owsley County (26-9)
1:30 p.m.: McCracken County (29-5) vs. Russell (28-6)
6 p.m.: Butler (26-8) vs. Anderson County (32-2)
8:30 p.m.: Franklin County (29-6) vs. North Laurel (29-5)
THURSDAY’S FIRST-ROUND GAMES
11 a.m.: Bethlehem (26-8) vs. Pikeville (27-5)
1:30 p.m.: Owensboro (20-11) vs. Henderson County (25-7)
6 p.m.: George Rogers Clark (30-4) vs. Sacred Heart (27-7)
8:30 p.m.: Cooper (29-4) vs. Danville Christian (29-2)
FRIDAY’S QUARTERFINALS
11 a.m.: Bowling Green-Owsley County winner vs. McCracken County-Russell winner
1:30 p.m.: Butler-Anderson County winner vs. Franklin County-North Laurel winner
6 p.m.: George Rogers Clark-Sacred Heart winner vs. Bethlehem-Pikeville winner
8:30 p.m.: Cooper-Danville Christian winner vs. Henderson County-Owensboro winner
SATURDAY’S GAMES
11 a.m.: Semifinal 1: Winners of Friday’s afternoon session
1:30 p.m.: Semifinal 2: Winners of Friday’s evening session
7 p.m.: Championship
This story was originally published March 11, 2024 at 10:47 AM.
