KSR's 2023 KHSAA Girls' Sweet 16 Tournament Preview

The 2023 Mingua Beef Jerky KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen is officially ready to rock. Beginning Wednesday morning, the Commonwealth’s 16 best high school girls’ basketball teams will converge on Rupp Arena with the ultimate goal of being crowned the Kentucky state champions.

The tournament tips off with first-round action on Wednesday and Thursday as four games will be played over the course of each day. Quarterfinals action is set to follow on Friday, March 10 with the semifinals and finals taking place on Saturday, March 11. The championship bout is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on Saturday night.

Below you can find KSR’s full preview of the event, along with the entire bracket.

*This article was submitted by freelance writer Alyx White, who has extensive knowledge in covering KY high school girls’ basketball. She is also one of two hosts for KSR’s women’s basketball podcast, the Know Her Name Podcast, which covers Kentucky women’s hoops. Alyx will assist in KSR’s coverage of the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 Tournament this week. You can follow her on Twitter: @alyxwhite_*

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Sacred Heart Chasing Another 3-Peat

The biggest question going into the girl’s state tournament is simple: can anyone beat the back-to-back state champions? Sacred Heart will be playing for its 3rd straight state title after going a perfect 28-0 against in-state competition this season. In fact, the Valkyries find themselves ranked in the top 15 nationally, according to ESPN.

While Sacred Heart is chasing its 3rd championship in a row, the Valkyries are actually one of only two schools that have already achieved that (Sacred Heart 2002-2004; Laurel County 1977-1979).

It’s no secret that the key player for Sacred Heart is 2025 guard ZaKiyah Johnson. She is ranked as the #2 player overall in the 2025 class per ESPNw and won virtually every POY award imaginable last season as a freshman. To say she is a special talent would be an understatement and every coach competing at state is well aware of how special she truly is. However, what makes the Valkyries especially dangerous is the talent Johnson has alongside her.

The Valkyries’ lone senior, Triniti Ralston, is one of the best point guards and defenders in the state. Also in the backcourt, Reagan Bender is one of the best scorers you’ll find. Down low, Angelina Pelayo is one of the best post players around. Players such as Claire Russell, Emi-Lee Howe, and Morgan Frey also contribute valuable minutes for the Valkyries. Plus, they have a legendary coach as their leader in Donna Moir. 

While it’s safe to say that they are the team to beat going into the tournament, they will face one of the frontrunners for 2023 Miss Kentucky Basketball, Kensley Feltner (Lawrence County), in the first round of the tournament. The Belmont University commit can do a little bit of everything on the court, so the Bulldogs will be relying on her to give them a shot.

Day One Familiarity

When you look at the opening-day matchups, one thing that really stands out is the familiarity between opponents. With the exception of Sacred Heart-Lawrence County, all three of the other Wednesday games include opponents that have already faced off this year. Bowling Green and Owensboro Catholic played less than a month ago and will kick off the tournament at 11 AM.

In their first matchup, Bowling Green defeated the Aces 55-54 despite the Purples’ leading scorer and rebounder, Meadow Tisdale, having to sit out that game with an injury. While that could be cause for concern for Owensboro Catholic, head coach Michael Robertson told the media on Monday that he felt his team’s turning point in the season actually came a couple of games after that loss. 

Some key players to watch for in this game include Owensboro Catholic’s Hailee Johnson, Karmin Riley, and Aubrey Randolph, along with Bowling Green’s Meadow Tisdale, Tanaya Bailey, and Saniyah Shelton.

In a similar sense, Mercer County will also be facing a team they’ve previously lost to in George Rogers Clark. When they met in early February, GRC defeated the Titans 54-48. Size is something Mercer County will have to overcome, while GRC has to limit their opponent’s outside shooting. Both teams get a lot of players involved and each has a 2023 Miss Basketball candidate on their roster.

Mercer County’s Timberlynn Yeast will not be able to play in the tournament (knee injury), but GRC’s Brianna Byars will be on the floor. Some other key players in this contest include Anna Drakeford, Teigh Yeast, and Lindsay Jessie (Mercer County); Ciara Byars, Kennedy Stamper, Trinity Gay, and Anaya Chestnut (GRC). 

The last matchup on day one will feature Frederick Douglass and North Laurel. While both of these teams have had an up-and-down season, they both have certainly been battle-tested going into the tournament. While the Jaguars beat the Broncos 66-53 back in January, both coaches recognize that this will be a completely different ballgame.

You can expect Frederick Douglass’ Niah Rhodes, Jermyra Christian, Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, and Kate Baker to have big performances, as well as North Laurel’s Emily Sizemore, Brooke Nichelson, Chloe McKnight, and Bella Sizemore.

The Bottom Half of the Bracket

When you look at the bottom half of the bracket, the teams that continue to be looked at as the favorites include McCracken County, Mercy, and Cooper. To make things extra interesting, two of those favorites, Mercy and Cooper, will play each other in the first round. Much like the matchups for Wednesday, these are two teams that are familiar with one another after competing in the Louisville Invitational Tournament in January.

Despite Mercy’s Leah Macy scoring 37 points in that game, Cooper came out victorious by a score of 67-64. There will be no shortage of talent in this one as at least eight players have garnered D-I offers or interest. Cooper’s Whitney Lind is a 2023 Miss Basketball candidate who is committed to play at Lehigh University next season, while Macy is another nationally ranked player who currently sits at #17 overall in the 2025 class per ESPNw. 

Both of these teams have widely been considered top 10 teams in the state by nearly every ranking service, so this is probably the game to watch in the opening sessions. Some top players in this contest include Leah Macy, Alyssa Murphy, Emma Barnett, and Mary Smith (Mercy); Whitney Lind, Liz Freihofer, Logan Palmer, and Haylee Noel (Cooper).

The other favorite from the bottom half of the bracket, McCracken County, will face a well-balanced Bethlehem team in the opening round. Bethlehem is full of athletes who really play well together, but they have a hard task ahead of them as they are facing a team that has lost four total games in the past two seasons combined. 

This is another game that features two Miss Basketball Candidates: McCracken County’s Destiny Thomas and Bethlehem’s Emma Filiatreau. Beyond those players, McCracken County players to watch include Claire Johnson, Mikee Buchanan, and Caroline Sivills, while Bethlehem’s players to watch include Carlie Thurmond, Tessa Miles, and Ashlyn Miles. 

The other two games on Thursday include Knott County Central versus Ashland Blazer and Simon Kenton versus Henderson County. With the exception of Henderson County, the other three teams were all underdogs in their region. That being said, they are not content with simply making it to state and will certainly be looking to make a big tournament run.

Some of the top players in those games include Kylie Gayheart (Knott County Central); Kenleigh Woods, Ella Sellars, Jaidyn Gulley (Ashland Blazer); Brynli Pernell (Simon Kenton); Jarie Thomas, Graci Risley, and Shalyn Sprinkles (Henderson County).