Sacred Heart's record-breaking dynasty lives on following 65-60 win over GRC in KHSAA Girls' Sweet 16 State Championship

History was on the line in the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 State Championship game.

Sacred Heart Academy took on George Rogers Clark for a third time this season as they looked to win a record fifth-straight state championship. The Valkyries won the previous two meetings earlier in the year, but could the Lady Cardinals overcome the odds and pull off the upset?

In the end, Sacred Heart came out on top, beating GRC 65-60 as they kept their dynasty alive.

GRC got down 12-3 in the first quarter, but they fought back to make it a four-point, 14-10 game at the end of the quarter. The Lady Cardinals struggled to find their rhythm offensively, cashing in on just 20% (3-15) of their shots, going 0-4 from deep.

Then, GRC would turn up the heat defensively, forcing 14 Sacred Heart turnovers by the half. For the first time in the Sweet 16, the Valkyries were on the ropes. Perhaps the dynasty was in jeopardy. At the break, it was 31-27 Lady Cardinals.

In the third quarter, however, Sacred Heart would claw back and take a 42-40 lead with 1:18 to go, forcing a GRC timeout. LSU commit ZaKiyah Johnson, who had 21 points and four rebounds on the day, was the primary catalyst in giving the Valkyries the game-changing momentum.

At the end of the period, it was knotted at 44 apiece. With eight minutes to go in the Kentucky girls’ high school season, it was anybody’s ball game — anybody’s state title to go win.

With 37 seconds to go in regulation, it was still knotted, this time at 60 apiece. Following a GRC timeout, Tootie Jordan would hit perhaps the biggest free throw of her life to give the Valkyries a one-point lead. With 21 seconds to go, Donna Moir would call a timeout to set up her defense.

Then, with the game on the line, Sacred Heart would force a turnover to seal the game. After knocking down key free throws in the waining seconds, the Valkyries escaped with the win.

Sacred Heart has now won nine state championships — head coach Donna Moir being a part of all of them. She was a freshman on the 1976 team state championship team, and she has coached Sacred Heart to their other eight state championships since 2002.

From Crystal Kelly to ZaKiyah Johnson, Moir has had some special players on some special teams. Perhaps the most dominant dynasty in Kentucky high school sports continued on with a victory Saturday night.