There were no breakout performances Saturday to help settle a crowded race for Kentucky’s 2024 Miss Basketball award, but three of the top candidates stated their cases at Sacred Heart.

Valkyries seniors Reagan Bender and Angelina Pelayo and Pikeville senior star Trinity Rowe each showed flashes of their brilliance as the host Valkyries beat the Panthers, 68-50, in a matchup of top-five teams in Kentucky.

No. 1-ranked Sacred Heart (21-7) won its 63^rd straight game against Kentucky competition and improved to 7-0 this season against top-15 teams from the state. No. 5 Pikeville dropped to 21-5.

Sacred Heart junior ZaKiyah Johnson, the prohibitive favorite for Kentucky’s Miss Basketball award in 2025, led all scorers with 20 points and added five rebounds.

But Pelayo (19 points) and Bender (10 points, six rebounds) also showed why their coach believes they should be in the running when the 2024 Kentucky Miss Basketball winner is announced March 17.

“I think if you put the resumes of two of my players up against anybody in the state … is it about winning, about stats, about making big shots down the stretch?” Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir said. “I think I have 1 and 1A.”

Bender and Pelayo both have played key roles since their freshman seasons and have helped the Valkyries win three straight state titles.

Bender still is deciding between Louisville and Western Kentucky for her college choice. She ranks second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game.

“A lot of times it goes to the person who’s scoring the most points,” Bender said of Miss Basketball. “In my opinion, it should go to somebody who has a lot of team wins and does all of the other things. You can’t win if you don’t play defense. You can’t win if you’re not sharing the ball. I think that’s where I stand out a little bit more because I can fill up the stat sheet.”

Pelayo, a 6-foot-3 center who has signed with UNC Wilmington, “played great” Saturday, Moir said, taking advantage against an outsized Pikeville squad. Pelayo hit 9 of 13 shots and is averaging 9.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

If some voters consider Miss Basketball a “career award,” Rowe may be the front-runner. She has played for Pikeville’s varsity team since her seventh-grade season and helped the Panthers win four straight regional championships.

On Friday, Rowe became Pikeville’s all-time leading scorer and now has 2,383 points. The Southern Mississippi signee is averaging 17.3 points per game.

“The thing that stands out most is that our girls want to be better for her,” Pikeville coach Kristy Orem said. “A lot of times when you’re in a situation like her, there’s a lot of jealousy. But she lifts everybody up around her. To me, that’s what makes her Miss Basketball. That’s what Miss Basketball should be, somebody who makes everyone around her better.”

Rowe scored 13 points in the first half Saturday, and Pikeville trailed just 33-27 at halftime before Sacred Heart turned up its defense.

Moir said the Valkyries went to a 2-3 matchup zone and double-teamed Rowe in an attempt “to make somebody else make shots. I thought we did a really good job with that.”

Rowe went scoreless in the second half and took three shots. The Panthers shot 36.8% in the final 16 minutes and committed nine of their 14 turnovers in the second half.

“She controls their whole offense,” Bender said of Rowe. “If she’s not scoring, they’re really stagnant. Us shutting her down helped us with our tempo.”

The Valkyries closed the third quarter with a 15-4 run for a 50-35 lead. Johnson scored six points during the run, including a 3-pointer that capped it.

While Pikeville struggled to score in the second half, Orem said Sacred Heart’s 37-21 advantage on the boards was the difference. The Valkyries turned 16 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points.

“If you don’t rebound against them, you’re not going to win,” Orem said. “That’s what killed us. Getting rebounds and getting in transition is when Trinity is at her best. We want to get defensive stops and go.”

PIKEVILLE 15 12 8 15 - 50

SACRED HEART 19 14 17 18 -68

Pikeville (21-5) — Kylee Alvin 3, Trinity Rowe 13, Kristen Whited 10, Sophie Woods 3, Kyera Thornsbury 12, Leighan Jackson 1, Rylee Theiss 8.

Sacred Heart (21-7) —Tootie Jordan 9, Addison Kincaid 2, ZaKiyah Johnson 20, Claire Russell 6, Reagan Bender 10, Angelina Pelayo 19, Morgan Frey 2.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA basketball: Miss Basketball contenders battle at Sacred Heart