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When the George Rogers Clark Lady Cardinals drew three-time defending KHSAA state champion Sacred Heart in the first round of the Sweet 16 Tournament, head coach Robbie Graham and his team knew they would have their work cut out for them. 

They showed up strong, taking a lead in the first quarter. 

However, the Sacred Heart Valkyries refused to go away. 

Despite a strong effort, the Lady Cards fell 57-46 Thursday night at Rupp Arena, ending their season with a 30-5 record after winning an 11th consecutive 40th District Championship and third consecutive 10th Region Championship. 

“Give a lot of credit to Sacred Heart. They’re a very talented team,” Graham said. “We have battled some adversity [this year] on and off the court…our girls could’ve folded…these kids are resilient.” 

The Lady Cards built an early 21-10 lead in the first quarter behind a crisp 64% first quarter field goal percentage. 

However, as was the case with two other teams that built  a 10+ point lead in the KHSAA Sweet 16 on Thursday, they soon found themselves trailing after the Valkyries went on a 16-0 run, including a 14-0 shutout of the Lady Cards in the second quarter. 

“We came out on fire in the first quarter…[but] against a team like that, you can’t have a scoreless quarter,” Graham said. “I think our press bothered them some in the first [quarter]. Once we couldn’t get in our press, we were kind of back on our heels a little bit. [They’re] very talented [and] very well coached.” 

“We just talked about [how] our defense was going to win this game,”  said Sacred Heart head coach Donna Moir. “We played outstanding defense and hit some big shots when we needed to.” 

While the Lady Cards trailed 26-21 entering halftime, they weren’t without the will to fight. 

Led in part by freshman Kennedy Stamper’s team-high 13 points, the team narrowed the deficit to 31-30. 

Sophomore Teigh Yeast came out strong, scoring seven quick points and creating a turnover. 

“I just was aggressive.” she said. 

However, the Valkyries responded with a 16-2 run to help put the game out of reach from the fighting Lady Cards. 

GRC, who were without junior Ciara Byars after a season-ending injury in January, were outrebounded in the contest by a 34-17 margin. 

While senior Angelina Pelayo of Sacred Heart led the Valkyries with 20 points and junior Zakiyah Johnson added 18, sophomore Anaya Chestnut also got into double figures for the Lady Cards by scoring 11 points. 

The defeat marks the last game in a Lady Cards uniform for Makili Tabor, the lone senior on this year’s roster. 

Tabor has already received offers from schools including the University of Pikeville and Kentucky State University.

“She’s one of the hardest workers we’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Graham said, noting Tabor has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA. “She will be very successful in life because of her work ethic.” 

Along with Byars, four starters from Thursday’s game – Stamper, Yeast, Chestnut, and Khania Jones – are set to return. 

Several valuable reserves, including Annette Miller, Kyleigh Chestnut, Jaylynn Goodwin, and Jailenn Green – who also saw time as a starter this season – are also set to return.