Sacred Heart makes history, wins fourth straight girls basketball state championship

Sacred Heart became the first high school basketball team to ever complete a four-peat in Kentucky High School history, girls or boys. The Valkyries beat McCracken County 60-49 on Saturday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington. All-American ZaKiyah Johnson led SHA with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior Reagen Bender added 18 points and seven assists, and Angelina Pelayo finished with 13 points. “I’ve been with them the longest, but I’m definitely happy history was made ,” Johnson said. “I’m so glad to do it with this team.”The Valkyries (31-7) led just 15-14 after the first quarter. Claire Johnson led the Mustangs with 24 points. She scored 39 in a semifinal win over Butler on Saturday afternoon. “We’ve just been through a lot these past four years and never had anybody win four in a row, and this team did it,” Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir said. “I just can’t say enough about the people. They are on and off the court.”It was the second straight season that Sacred Heart defeated McCracken County (32-6) in the title game.