‘She causes so much disruption.’ Sweet 16 triple-double fuels Sacred Heart blowout.
The suspense was short-lived in the opening game of the 2021 Mingua Beef Jerky/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 in Rupp Arena on Wednesday.
Behind a triple-double from junior wing Josie Gilvin, Sacred Heart pounded Knott County Central 64-32, earning a trip to Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Valkyries are aiming for their fifth state championship and first since 2004.
Using her length and quickness to stymie the Patriots, Gilvin scored 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. But her biggest contribution was on defense, where she swiped 10 steals and helped the Valkyries produce 30 points off 26 Knott Central turnovers.
“We got a nice win under our belt. I thought our kids played really hard,” Sacred Heart Coach Donna Moir said of her private school squad from Louisville. “Hats off to Josie who got a triple-double. That’s a pretty hard feat with rebounds, steals and points.”
Knott County Central, located in Hindman, hung around early, taking an 8-6 lead on a three-pointer from Kelsey Noble. But Trinity Ralston responded with a three and the Valkyries never trailed again.
Led by Gilvin, Sacred Heart (22-7) buried the Patriots (20-8) in the second quarter, outscoring them 22-4. Back-to-back steals by Gilvin resulted in three-pointers from Olivia Kaufman and Reagan Bender. Gilvin’s third straight steal led to a mid-range jumper by Alexandra Wolff that stretched the Valkyries’ lead to 33-16.
“Their length and physicality hurt us,” Knott County Central Coach Jeff Honeycutt said. “It seemed like there in the second quarter especially they were very active. They got their hands on a lot (of balls) and once they got it, it was straight-line layups.”
Gilvin had seven steals before halftime. Sacred Heart headed to the locker room up 41-16 after ending the first half on a 19-1 run and holding Knott Central scoreless the final 6:13.
“Being active for my team is something that gets us going,” Gilvin said. “When I can be active it leads to other people wanting to put in the same effort ... I just try to bring it for everyone.”
Gilvin spent the majority of the third quarter resting on the bench. The Patriots outscored the Valkyries by one in the period, but suffered another scoring drought of more than four minutes down the stretch.
Gilvin scored back-to-back fast-break layups as part of a 10-2 Sacred Heart run to open the fourth quarter. She went to the bench with 2:58 to play, but quickly returned when the Valkyries’ staff realized she was one steal shy of a triple-double. Gilvin got her final swipe, then exited to a big ovation from Sacred Heart fans.
“Obviously, Josie is our energy and the other kids feed off of that,” Moir said. “She causes so much disruption.”
Bender scored a game-high 21 points and added three rebounds and five assists. Keara Mullins led Knott Central with nine points, hitting all four of her free throws.
Sacred Heart held the Patriots to 29 percent shooting and outrebounded them 39-20. The Valkyries shot 45 percent from the field.
Girls’ Sweet 16 scores, schedule
At Rupp Arena
Wednesday
Sacred Heart 64, Knott County Central 32
Bowling Green 50, Bishop Brossart 48, 2OT
Franklin County vs. South Laurel, (n)
Anderson County vs. Southwestern, (n)
Thursday
11 a.m.: Pikeville vs. Marshall County
2 p.m.: Bethlehem vs. Bullitt East
5 p.m.: Henderson County vs. Apollo
8 p.m.: Dixie Heights vs. Russell
Friday
11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m.: Quarterfinal games
Saturday
11 a.m., 2 p.m.: Semifinal games
8 p.m.: Championship game
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 1:31 PM.
