Sacred Heart, George Rogers Clark set up anticipated rematch in Girls' Sweet 16 semis

Half of the 2023 Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Sweet 16 semifinals have been set as Friday’s quarterfinals got rolling with two more teams advancing in the Kentucky state tournament.

First up inside Rupp Arena, it was the nationally-ranked Sacred Heart Valkyries that once again showed out in dominant fashion against Owensboro Catholic. Then, the George Rogers Clark Cardinals put an end to North Laurel’s season with an equally impressive performance. SHA (34-3) and GRC (28-7) will now play in Saturday morning’s semifinals in what will be a highly anticipated showdown.

*EDITOR’S NOTE: The following 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 Valkyries Dominate Once Again

It was Owensboro Catholic that was able to get on the scoreboard first as junior Hailee Johnson quickly came up with a steal that led to a layup from senior Maddie Hayden. However, Sacred Heart, the No. 1 team in the state and a top 15 program in the entire country, took over after that with a dominant 9-0 run.

Rather than getting deflated, the Lady Aces ended the quarter with a three from Johnson that cut the lead to five and continued to show that Owensboro Catholic belongs on the big stage. 

In the second quarter, foul trouble became the issue. Sacred Heart’s five-star sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson picked up her second personal foul three minutes into the period. Owensboro Catholic’s Hailee Johnson and SHA’s Reagan Bender also got called for their second foul in the following minutes.

The Lady Aces’ Karmin Riley took advantage by knocking down a three to cut the lead to two, the closest it had been since the game started. The Valkyries responded with a few steals, layups, and six made free throws to get their lead up to double-figures at the break.

For Sacred Heart, they did the same thing they did in their first game of the tournament: own the second half. Despite Owensboro Catholic sophomore Karmin Riley knocking down her third triple of the game, the Lady Aces were held to just nine total points in the third quarter. SHA held a 21-point lead going into the final quarter of play.

Shots stopped falling as both teams hit a six-plus minute scoring drought, but after ZaKiyah Johnson came up with an offensive rebound and put-back basket a couple of minutes into the quarter, the Valkyries went on another run and never looked back. 

Sacred Heart ultimately walked away with a 67-45 victory to advance to the Final Four. They were led by Johnson’s 23 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two steals, but also had three other players finish in double figures.

Junior center Angelina Pelayo had a near-double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Fellow junior Reagan Bender finished with 12 points and three rebounds, while senior point guard Triniti Ralston added 11 points and five rebounds. Junior Emi-Lee Howe also hit two big three-pointers in the victory.

For the Lady Aces, Hailee Johnson led the way with 12 points, while Karmin Riley chipped in 11 points. 

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 | Sacred Heart 67 Owensboro Catholic 45@ZJohnson_06 led all scorers with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists@AngelinaPelayo with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists@ShuriTitanium with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists@benderreagann with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2… https://t.co/VbLuhpDz4L pic.twitter.com/DXk5K1LYyc

— Alyx White (@alyxwhite_) March 10, 2023

George Rogers Clark Overpowers Lady Jaguars

George Rogers Clark may not have been the first team on the board, but they gained the edge quickly as they went 4-6 from deep in the opening quarter against North Laurel.

Eighth-grade point guard Kennedy Stamper and senior guard Trinity Gay had the hot hands as they knocked down two triples a piece for GRC. Stamper was fouled at the buzzer and knocked down all three free throws to give the Cardinals an eight-point advantage going into the second quarter.

North Laurel sophomore Brooke Nichelson, senior Emily Sizemore, and junior Chloe McKnight were especially solid throughout the first half, but the rest of the team wasn’t able to ever get things going for the Lady Jaguars as GRC jumped out to a 14-point lead by the intermission. Stamper had a game-high 14 points to lead the Cardinals.

The Lady Jaguars’ determination to cut into that lead in the second half was obvious from the start. Nichelson was on a mission, pouring in 24 huge points on the afternoon to lead her team while continuously cutting into the Cardinals’ lead.

North Laurel was able to get the deficit down to nine points in the third quarter, outscoring GRC by two points in the frame, but they were never able to get it closer than that. Nichelson, McKnight, and Sizemore remained the only scorers for the Jags. Sizemore scored 15 points in her final high school game, while McKnight added nine points. 

For the Cardinals, all five starters put points on the board. They were led by sophomore Ciara Byars with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Stamper and Gay also finished in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively. 

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 | GRC 63 North Laurel 48

Ciara Byars led all scorers with 25 points

Stamper added 14 points and Gay with 13 for GRC

Brooke Nichelson led the Jaguars with 24 points

Only 3 North Laurel players scored in this one😳 pic.twitter.com/0al63ipWX3

— Alyx White (@alyxwhite_) March 10, 2023

Sacred Heart and George Rogers Clark will now face off in the Final Four of the Girls’ Sweet 16 on Saturday, March 11th at 11:00 AM. A thing to note is that GRC played SHA closer than any other team in the state this season. When these two met in early February, Sacred Heart won by a tight score of 54-53.