Sacred Heart pushes past Cooper, 58-50, to set up Sweet 16 Final Rematch

In the final game of the 2024 KHSAA Sweet 16 semifinals, Sacred Heart defeated Cooper High School 58-50 to move on to its fourth straight state championship game. The now 30-7 Sacred Heart Valkyries were in control from the very beginning, despite a slow start from both teams. With only a 9-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, it was crucial for the Valkyries to pick things up if they wanted to come out on top.

At the half, Sacred Heart shot 10-26 (38.5%) from the field, including 2-8 (25%) from three. The Valkyries and the Jaguars were basically neck and neck after two quarters, with 19 and 18 rebounds, respectively. However, Sacred Heart had only four turnovers compared to Cooper’s six. Both teams committed six fouls in the first half and shot the ball 26 times. The difference was that Cooper made five shots from the field, while Sacred Heart made 10.

ZaKiyah Johnson struggled to get things going offensively in the second half. The senior finished today’s game with a total of 15 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Tootie Jordan finished with 17 points on 5-8 (62.5%) from the field, and added one assist. The only other Valkyrie in double-digits was Claire Russell, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

“It has been a battle every time we’ve played them [Cooper]. We get to come back and defend our title, which is something that you dream about,” Sacred Heart head coach Donna Moir said in the postgame press conference. “We won’t wanna say it’s our last, but it’s gonna be our first.”

“Kind of just hold your composure, you can’t let them dictate what you do,” ZaKiyah Johnson said regarding Cooper’s late game 9-0 run. “As long as you stay calm and composed, then we’re okay.“

For Cooper, only two players made it into double-digits: Liz Freihofer (17) and Logan Palmer (13). Freihofer fouled out late into the fourth quarter but added six rebounds and three blocks. As a team, the Jaguars shot 17-48 (35.4%) from the field, including 11-25 (44%) from three, nine more than Sacred Heart made. Despite that, Cooper was unable to defeat the Valkyries and marked its final game of the 2023-24 season.

“That was a battle,” Cooper head coach Justin Holthaus said. “Coming into this game, my kids were definitely very confident in what we had to do. We just couldn’t get over that hump. At the end of the day, we were right in that game…, and we knew we would be fighting until that very end buzzer.”

“There was no doubt in my mind that we were gonna come out here and fight and give it our all.” senior Jaguar Liz Freihofer said. “We’ve grown so much as a team together. The people really do make the place, the community has come all around us.”

Up next, Sacred Heart will try to defend its state championship title against McCracken County at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Valkyries and the Mustangs met in the state finals last season, where Sacred Heart came out on top, 68-53. With two of the best players in Kentucky on opposite teams, Claire Johnson (McCracken County) and ZaKiya Johnson (Sacred Heart), it’s anyone’s game.