LEXINGTON —  In the rich history of Kentucky high school basketball, Sacred Heart achieved greatness never seen before.

Led by sensational junior ZaKiyah Johnson, the Valkyries beat McCracken County, 60-49, in Saturday’s championship game of the Mingua Beef Jerky/KHSAA Sweet 16 in front of 3,562 fans at Rupp Arena.

Sacred Heart became the first high school program in Kentucky history — boys or girls — to win four consecutive state championships. Laurel County (1977-79) and Sacred Heart (2002-04) previously had won three straight crowns.

“Never had anybody won 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. They’re the kind of kids you want as your daughters, and they’re all my family. …

“We got everybody’s best shot, and they didn’t back down.”

Ranked No. 1 in the state all season, Sacred Heart finished with a 31-7 record. The Valkyries have won 73 straight games against Kentucky competition and have a record eight state titles in their history.

“They’re a terrific basketball team,” McCracken County coach Scott Sivills said. “They’ll go down as one of the best of all time.”

It was a rematch of last year’s state final, which the Valkyries won 68-53.

Johnson was the star once again in the rematch, posting 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. She was named Sweet 16 MVP for the third straight year.

With Sacred Heart leading 34-30 early in the third quarter, Johnson put together an impressive stretch that put the Valkyries in control.

Her 3-point play gave Sacred Heart a 37-30 lead, and she followed with a steal and layup that made it 39-30 at the 5:48 mark. Finally, Johnson found Reagan Bender in the right corner for a 3-pointer that made it 42-30 with 4:47 left.

Johnson seemed most pleased with the assist.

“Getting my teammates involved is better than scoring any day,” she said. “I want to see them succeed as much as I can.”

Sivills said the three plays by Johnson “really were the game.”

“If we could have gone back and changed that, may be a whole different outcome,” Sivills said. “They made the plays where we didn’t, so you have to commend them.”

Claire Johnson scored 24 points to lead No. 9 McCracken County (32-6). Mikee Buchanan added 19 points, six rebounds and three steals.

Bender was 4 for 8 from 3-point range and finished with 18 points and seven assists. That followed a subpar six-point showing in Saturday’s semifinal victory over Cooper.

“I came into this game knowing what I wanted, and my teammates always seem to find me whenever I have the best shots,” Bender said. “I can count on them to get me the open 3 or pass up a good shot for a great shot. It’s just relying on my teammates and knowing they’re going to have my back.”

Bender was one of four Sacred Heart seniors to close their careers with four state titles, joining Angelina Pelayo, Claire Russell and Emi-Lee Howe.

“Unprecedented” was the theme of the week for these Valkyries, and they’ll forever live in the history books.

“Since our freshman years, the four of us just wanted to know, ‘This is going to be ours. We’re going to make history,’” Russell said. “That’s what we did.”

SACRED HEART                15       17       21      7 – 60

MCCRACKEN COUNTY    14       14       15      6 – 49

Sacred Heart (31-7) – Tootie Jordan 2, ZaKiyah Johnson 21, Reagan Bender 18, Angelina Pelayo 13, Addison Kincaid 4, Morgan Frey 2.

McCracken County (32-6) – Claire Johnson 24, Reagan Hill 2, Mikee Buchanan 19, LeZharia Bolen 4.

MVP – ZaKiyah Johnson (Sacred Heart)

All-tournament team – Angelina Pelayo, Reagan Bender (Sacred Heart); Mikee Buchanan, Reagan Hill, Claire Johnson (McCracken County); Logan Palmer, Liz Freihofer (Cooper); Ramiya White, Mariah Knight (Butler); A’Tylia Green (Henderson County); Leah Macy (Bethlehem); Rachel Shropshire (Franklin County); Chloe Potter (Bowling Green).

KHSAA Girls Sweet 16: Butler run, led by seniors and 1st-year head coach, ends in semifinals

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

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Sweet 16 championship: Sacred Heart basketball completes 4-peat