Sacred Heart dominates; Cooper earns shot at redemption and more from Thursday at the KHSAA Girls' Sweet 16

The KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 got underway yesterday, and we saw a number of competitive games and one surprising upset — all of that taking place in just one day of action.

KSR has everything you need to get caught up on what transpired on Thursday as the first round of the state tournament was officially wrapped up. Let’s dig into who survived and advanced and who was sent home at the hands of defeat.

Sacred Heart beats Johnson Central by 46 points in all-around beatdown

Sacred Heart has been practically unstoppable when it comes to beating competition from within the Bluegrass. Simon Kenton, who was knocked out of the Sweet 16 by Frederick Douglass on Wednesday, handed the Valkyries their first in-state loss in 92 games. Since then, however, they haven’t looked back. Johnson Central was the latest victim, falling 71-25 to Sacred Heart.

LSU commit ZaKiyah Johnson was the star of the show, putting up 26 points on 11-14 (1-3 3PT) shooting. The 6-foot guard also recorded 10 rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocks in 25 minutes of action. That’s the definition of filling up the stat sheet.

Sacred Heart shot an unreal 70% (31-44) from the field, holding Johnson Central to just 34% (11-32) overall and 18% (2-11) from three-point range.

Cooper has a chance at redemption after handling Mercy Academy

Cooper secured a 70-45 win over Mercy Academy on Thursday, but at the half, it seemed like it could be anybodies game. Sure, the Cooper had a 27-18 lead, but a nine-point lead isn’t a game-ending one, especially at the half. However, the Lady Jaguars turned up the heat after the break.

Sophomore Haylee Noel was the leading scorer for Cooper, putting up 24 points on 10-12 (2-3 3PT) shooting. She also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out five assists in the win. The difference on the scoreboard was replicated by the difference on the glass, the Lady Jaguars having a 40 rebounds to Mercy’s 23.

Addyson Brissey and Alivia Scott combined for 27 points on 6-7 shooting from beyond the arc. The pair also grabbed 17 total rebounds.

Cooper will take on Sacred Heart at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday. In last year’s Sweet 16, the Valkyries defeated the Lady Jaguars in the Semifinals en route to their fourth consecutive state championship. Cooper can avenge last year’s loss, but it’ll be a tall task.

Henderson County prevails over Marshall County in battle of western Kentucky schools

In a battle of western Kentucky schools, it was Henderson County who got a 45-30 win over Marshall County.

The Lady Marshals struggled to put the ball in the hoop from the get-go, only cashing in on 34% (11-32) of their shots. Plus, not a single player for Marshall County was able to get into double figures in the scoring column. As a team, they only mustered 17 points in the first half, then just 13 to finish out the game.

As for Henderson County, junior Brooklyn Gibson put up a game-high 15 points on 5-9 shooting, also grabbing four rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Atylia Green recorded 11 points, four assists and five steals against the Lady Marshals.

Henderson County will look to use their momentum to try to topple Danville Christian at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Louisville commit Grace Mbugua leads Danville Christian past Daviess County

To round out the first round, Danville Christian secured a wire-to-wire victory over Daviess County, beating the Lady Panthers 53-40.

It was Daviess County’s first-ever trip to the Sweet 16, and it was apparent early on that Danville Christian would be too much to handle. At the half, it was 29-13 Lady Warriors. Daviess County struggled to get going offensively, and they even missed started the game 0-7 from three-point land.

Louisville commit Grace Mbugua had 21 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for Danville Christian. She shined in last year’s Sweet 16, and after showing everyone what she had, she went from being a Liberty commit to receiving offers from high-profile programs like Kentucky, LSU, West Virginia and of course, Louisville. Mbugua continued her Sweet 16 dominance on Thursday.

Senior Alaya Quisenberry, the sister of Kentucky football commit Montavin Quisenberry, had a solid game herself, recording 17 points on 7-11 (2-3 3PT) shooting, tallying six assists as well.

And just like that, it’s time for the Quarterfinals.