By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
It was considered a major upset when the Simon Kenton girls basketball team defeated Louisville Sacred Heart, 75-70, in overtime last season to end the Valkyries’ 92-game win streak against in-state opponents.
Simon Kenton proved that was no fluke by winning a rematch with the five-time defending state champions, 56-49, on Friday in Louisville. The Pioneers had double-digit leads reduced to three points twice during the second half, but they kept their composure to remain on top.
In this week’s state media rankings, Simon Kenton (25-2) was No. 5. They beat No. 4 Fredrick Douglass on Monday and No. 3 Sacred Heart (19-5) on Friday to remain undefeated against in-state opponents this season.
Junior guard Brynli Pernell scored a game-high 28 points for the Pioneers on Friday and surpassed the 2,000 mark in career scoring.
She made five 3-point shots and her team finished with an 18-6 scoring advantage from behind the arc. That was one reason the Valkyries fell short of their 67.9 scoring average coming into the game.
Pernell had three treys in the first quarter when Simon Kenton took a 19-8 lead. Her fourth trey put the Pioneers ahead 30-16 in the second quarter and they led 36-26 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Sacred Heart went on a 9-0 run that cut the margin to 42-39. Simon Kenton pushed it out to 50-42 early in the fourth quarter, but the home team reduced it to 50-47 with 3:28 left.
Each team had six possessions after that. Sacred Heart was 1-for-6 from the field with one turnover. Simon Kenton scored six points on field goals by Pernell and senior center Hailie Webb and two free throws by Pernell.
In five seasons on the Simon Kenton varsity team, Pernell has scored a total of 2,026 points and made 308 3-point goals. She holds the team record in career 3-pointers ands ranks second in scoring behind 2018 graduate Ally Niece, who netted more than 2,700 points.
Sacred Heart ended up shooting 32.7 percent (18 of 55) from the field compared to Simon Kenton’s 33.9 percent (19 of 56). On shots from behind the 3-point line, the Pioneers were 6 of 21 and the Valkyries were 2 of 19.
Sacred Heart’s leading scorers were senior forward Brianna Wilkins with 22 points and junior guard Amirah Jordan with 13. Webb and eighth-grader Angela Kabeya each had 10 points for Simon Kenton. Kabeya moved into the starting lineup after senior Megan Gadzala was sidelined by a knee injury.
The Pioneers will complete their regular season schedule Tuesday with a home game against Highlands. The defending 8th Region champions will then play Wlliamstown in the semifinals of the 32nd District tournament.
SIMON KENTON 19 17 12 8 — 56
SACRED HEART 8 18 15 8 — 49
SIMON KENTON (25-2): Pernell 8 7 28, Webb 5 0 10, Kabeya 3 3 10, Kelch 2 2 6, Ober 1 0 2. Totals: 19 12 56
SACRED HEART (19-5): Wilkins 7 6 22, Jordan 5 3 13, Zutterman 3 2 8, Ralston 2 0 4, Carson 1 0 2. Totals: 18 11 49.
Three-pointers: SK — Pernell 5, Kabaya. SH — Wilkins 2.