Cooper Jaguars lose to Sacred Heart, 78-61, in quarterfinals of 2025 KHSAA Sweet 16
LEXINGTON — For the third time in the last four state tournament, the Cooper Jaguars' season ended at the hands of the No. 1 team in the state, the Sacred Heart Valkyries.
The Valkyries attacked on defense and swarmed the backboards on their way to a 78-61 victory on Friday in a quarterfinal of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we got the win," Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir said. "I thought we did some really good things offensively once we got them in foul trouble a little bit. We started getting some drives to the basket.”
Sacred Heart (33-3) advanced to the state semifinals for the fifth straight year and will face No. 10 Danville Christian (27-7) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. A win would move the Valkyries to Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. championship, where they would seek a fifth straight state title.
On Friday, Sacred Heart was led by its "Big Three" of ZaKiyah Johnson (20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists), Bri Wilkins (16 points) and Tootie Jordan (10 points, five rebounds, four steals).
Morgan Frey added 9 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and Riley Gilvin pitched in 9 points and three assists.
Two statistical categories told the story of the game:
* Cooper committed 22 turnovers, and Sacred Heart scored 27 points off them.
* Sacred Heart won the rebounding battle 37-25 and turned 18 offensive boards into 25 second-chance points.
“Two big keys we talked about, we had to take care of the ball and we had to rebound," Cooper coach Justin Holthaus said. "They got on the glass a lot. … They look like volleyball players, just keep bouncing it off the glass and they go and get it.”
Sophomore Haylee Noel scored 34 points to lead No. 3 Cooper (25-6), which was in the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year and was eliminated by Sacred Heart for the third time during that span.
Holthaus, who has just one senior on his roster, was asked about the prospect of returning to the Sweet 16 in 2026 and not having to face Johnson, who has signed with LSU.
“I’m glad she’s graduating," he said with a laugh. "She doesn’t have a COVID year, does she?”
The Valkyries built a 31-20 halftime lead and maintained a double-digit advantage the entire second half.
Johnson said focusing on defense allowed Sacred Heart to get the game at a more advantageous pace in the second half, when the Valkyries outscored the Jaguars 47-41.
“That’s where we look when the offense isn’t really going the way that we want it to," Johnson said. "Picking the pace up on defense and speeding them up, that’s our pace. We know they’re kind of a slower team, so just speeding them up motivated us on the offensive end.”
Cooper's lone senior, Zene Thompson, was often tasked with guarding the opposition's tallest players this season. She did so admirably, shutting down the likes of Jayden McClain, Sophia Gibson and Marissa Green.
Returning four starters and the entirety of their bench, the Jaguars should be favorites to win the Ninth Region for a fifth straight season. Sophomore Haylee Noel will be the best player in the region. She was named to the Sweet 16 all-tournament team after averaging 29 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
Sacred Heart 78, Cooper 61
COOPER 9 11 21 20 – 61
SHA 17 14 24 23 – 78
Cooper (26-6) – Addyson Brissey 3, Haylee Noel 34, Brinkli Rankin 3, Alivia Scott 2, Zene Thompson 12, Lyric Hooper 7.
Sacred Heart (33-3) – Tootie Jordan 10, ZaKiyah Johnson 20, Bri Wilkins 16, Caroline Osting 5, Morgan Frey 9, Becca Carson 5, Tahri Ralston 2, Gabby DeCamillis 2, Riley Gilvin 9.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Girls Sweet 16: Cooper falls against Sacred Heart
-
KHSAA Sweet 16 girls basketball tournament results, highlights from quarterfinals at Rupp
Here are the results and highlights from Friday's quarterfinals of the KHSAA Sweet 16 girls basketball tournament at Rupp Arena in LexingtonYahoo Sports - 16h -
KHSAA Sweet 16 girls basketball tournament results, highlights from 2nd day at Rupp Arena
Here are results and highlights from Thursday's first round of the KHSAA Sweet 16 girls basketball tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Iona defeats Sacred Heart 90-88
Led by Yaphet Moundi's 24 points, the Iona Gaels defeated the Sacred Heart Pioneers 90-88 on SaturdayABC News - 6d -
Girls basketball state tournament schedules
Mar. 13—QUARTERFINALS Thursday, March 13 —At Maturi Pavilion Goodhue 76, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 47 West Central Area 61, Cromwel-Wright 54 MACCRAY 55, Mayer Lutheran 51 No. 3. Sleepy Eye Saint ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
No. 1 Duke beats Georgia Tech 78-70 after losing Flagg, Brown to injuries in ACC quarterfinals
Kon Knueppel scored 28 points as No. 1 Duke overcame injuries to star Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown to beat Georgia Tech 78-70 and advance to the ACC Tournament semifinalsABC News - 1d -
Recap: Florida basketball beats Missouri Tigers in SEC Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday
Recapping Florida basketball's 95-81 win over the Missouri Tigers in the 2025 SEC Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday night in Nashville.Yahoo Sports - 8h -
Duke's Cooper Flagg leaves ACC quarterfinal game against Georgia Tech with ankle injury
Duke star Cooper Flagg left Thursday’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinal game with a left ankle injury and had to be helped to the locker roomABC News - 1d -
PJ Haggerty scores career-high 42 points for No. 16 Memphis in 83-80 win over Wichita State
PJ Haggerty scored a career-high 42 points and led the go-ahead run for 16th-ranked Memphis in an 83-80 win over Wichita State in a quarterfinal game at the American Athletic Conference tournament ...Yahoo Sports - 14h -
SEC Tournament scores today: Game highlights, updates, from quarterfinals in Nashville
It's the 2025 SEC men's basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Follow for scores and updates from today's quarterfinal round games in Nashville.Yahoo Sports - 18h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Commanders receive high marks through the first week of free agency
The Washington Commanders receive high marks through one week of free agency.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Report: Arsenal & Chelsea face competition for £50m transfer
Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly set to face competition from Real Madrid for the potential transfer of Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.The 19-year-old has impressed in the Premier League this ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Lando Norris takes pole but ‘learning curve’ continues for Lewis Hamilton in eighth
Lando Norris said he was “not getting ahead” of himself, despite making the perfect start to the new Formula One season in Melbourne. The McLaren driver topped all three qualifying sessions to grab ...Yahoo Sports - 19m -
Jonathan Kuminga drops 18 points in 20 minutes off bench in return vs. Kings
After missing 31 straight games due to an ankle injury, Jonathan Kuminga made his return to the court on Thursday against the Kings.Yahoo Sports - 22m -
Lisbie twins have defences seeing double at Braintree
Braintree Town's Kyrell and Kyreece Lisbie are inspiring young people with TikTok videos about the highs and lows of football life.Yahoo Sports - 24m
More in Sports
-
Commanders receive high marks through the first week of free agency
The Washington Commanders receive high marks through one week of free agency.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Atleti's Gallagher: Focus now on beating Barça
Atlético Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher said the team has moved on from the painful UEFA Champions League exit against Real Madrid in a controversial penalty shootout on Wednesday.ESPN - 16m -
Estadio Azteca changes name ahead of 2026 WC
Mexico City's Estadio Azteca has changed its name to Estadio Banorte in order to help fund the final stages of remodeling for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.ESPN - 16m -
Guardiola laughs off Capello calling him 'arrogant'
Pep Guardiola has laughed off criticism from Fabio Capello after the former England manager accused the Manchester City boss of ruining Italian football.ESPN - 16m -
NWSL's BOS Nation to be renamed after backlash
Boston's 2026 NWSL franchise announced Friday that it will officially change its name following a highly-ridiculed launch last fall.ESPN - 16m