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No high school basketball player in Kentucky history has enjoyed a week quite like ZaKiyah Johnson just experienced.
It started Thursday when the Sacred Heart Academy senior was named Gatorade Kentucky Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the fourth straight season.
It continued Saturday when Johnson led the Valkyries to their fifth straight state championship and was named Sweet 16 MVP for the fourth straight time.
And it ended Sunday the only way it could, with Johnson being named Kentucky’s 2025 Miss Basketball during a ceremony in Lexington.
“If I had to put it into one word, I’d just say ‘surreal,'" Johnson said. "It’s just so exciting, something that hasn’t been seen often – four state championships, four Gatorades, four MVPs. Then you add Miss Basketball on top, it’s just like the sprinkles to the top of your cake.”
Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir was asked whether Johnson was the best player ever to come out of Kentucky.
“Absolutely, 100%, yes,” Moir said. “I don’t know how anybody could dispute what she’s accomplished — her stats, the wins, the accomplishments. … She is, without a doubt, the best high school player ever to play in Kentucky, in my opinion.”
Great Crossing’s Malachi Moreno, a 6-foot-11 center who has signed with the University of Kentucky, was named Kentucky’s 2025 Mr. Basketball during Sunday’s ceremony.
Moreno is averaging 21.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 3.5 assists for a Great Crossing team that will open play in the Sweet 16 on March 27 against Daviess County. The Warhawks (31-4) will enter with a 23-game winning streak.
[IMG alt="Sacred Heart's ZaKiyah Johnson (11) celebrated winning the KHSAA Championship game on Saturday.
March 15, 2025"]https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-courier-journal/44b1e6831acd30a593c0de2e3c346062[/IMG]
Johnson became the first Miss Basketball winner from Louisville since Iroquois’ Adia Mathies in 2009. Johnson is the third Sacred Heart player to win the award, joining Crystal Kelly (2004) and Carly Ormerod (2005).
The 6-foot Johnson averaged 21.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals in leading the Valkyries to a 35-3 record and fifth straight state championship. She posted 21 points — including 15 in the second half — and four rebounds as Sacred Heart rallied to beat George Rogers Clark 65-60 in Saturday’s championship game at Rupp Arena.
“Everything I did I did with heart, and it got us here,” Johnson said after the game.
Johnson played as a seventh and eighth grader at Shelby County before joining the Sacred Heart program as a freshman. In six varsity seasons she tallied 3,870 points and 1,571 rebounds. She’s the all-time leading scorer at Sacred Heart with 3,090 points during her four seasons there.
An LSU signee, Johnson was named a McDonald’s All-American in January.
“What she’s done and how she represents herself,” Moir said, “she’s the total package.”
Moreno joined the Great Crossing program as an eighth-grader and has tallied 2,392 points and 1,896 rebounds during his career.
Moreno is the first Great Crossing player to be named Mr. Basketball and the first winner from the 11th Region since Lexington Catholic’s Ben Johnson in 2021. Moreno also was named a McDonald’s All-American.
“One thing about Malachi that you don’t see in the stats is that he makes our defense so much better because people don’t come at him much,” Great Crossing coach Steve Page said. “And if you do, he blocks 10 shots like he did in the regional final. If he doesn’t do that, we’re not playing in Rupp Arena.”
More high school basketball: St. Xavier tops rival Trinity in 7th Region final, punches ticket to Sweet 16
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; [email protected]; Follow on X @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball: ZaKiyah Johnson, Malachi Moreno take honors
Continue reading...
It started Thursday when the Sacred Heart Academy senior was named Gatorade Kentucky Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the fourth straight season.
It continued Saturday when Johnson led the Valkyries to their fifth straight state championship and was named Sweet 16 MVP for the fourth straight time.
And it ended Sunday the only way it could, with Johnson being named Kentucky’s 2025 Miss Basketball during a ceremony in Lexington.
“If I had to put it into one word, I’d just say ‘surreal,'" Johnson said. "It’s just so exciting, something that hasn’t been seen often – four state championships, four Gatorades, four MVPs. Then you add Miss Basketball on top, it’s just like the sprinkles to the top of your cake.”
Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir was asked whether Johnson was the best player ever to come out of Kentucky.
“Absolutely, 100%, yes,” Moir said. “I don’t know how anybody could dispute what she’s accomplished — her stats, the wins, the accomplishments. … She is, without a doubt, the best high school player ever to play in Kentucky, in my opinion.”
Great Crossing’s Malachi Moreno, a 6-foot-11 center who has signed with the University of Kentucky, was named Kentucky’s 2025 Mr. Basketball during Sunday’s ceremony.
Moreno is averaging 21.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 3.5 assists for a Great Crossing team that will open play in the Sweet 16 on March 27 against Daviess County. The Warhawks (31-4) will enter with a 23-game winning streak.
[IMG alt="Sacred Heart's ZaKiyah Johnson (11) celebrated winning the KHSAA Championship game on Saturday.
March 15, 2025"]https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-courier-journal/44b1e6831acd30a593c0de2e3c346062[/IMG]
Johnson became the first Miss Basketball winner from Louisville since Iroquois’ Adia Mathies in 2009. Johnson is the third Sacred Heart player to win the award, joining Crystal Kelly (2004) and Carly Ormerod (2005).
The 6-foot Johnson averaged 21.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals in leading the Valkyries to a 35-3 record and fifth straight state championship. She posted 21 points — including 15 in the second half — and four rebounds as Sacred Heart rallied to beat George Rogers Clark 65-60 in Saturday’s championship game at Rupp Arena.
“Everything I did I did with heart, and it got us here,” Johnson said after the game.
Johnson played as a seventh and eighth grader at Shelby County before joining the Sacred Heart program as a freshman. In six varsity seasons she tallied 3,870 points and 1,571 rebounds. She’s the all-time leading scorer at Sacred Heart with 3,090 points during her four seasons there.
An LSU signee, Johnson was named a McDonald’s All-American in January.
“What she’s done and how she represents herself,” Moir said, “she’s the total package.”
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Moreno joined the Great Crossing program as an eighth-grader and has tallied 2,392 points and 1,896 rebounds during his career.
Moreno is the first Great Crossing player to be named Mr. Basketball and the first winner from the 11th Region since Lexington Catholic’s Ben Johnson in 2021. Moreno also was named a McDonald’s All-American.
“One thing about Malachi that you don’t see in the stats is that he makes our defense so much better because people don’t come at him much,” Great Crossing coach Steve Page said. “And if you do, he blocks 10 shots like he did in the regional final. If he doesn’t do that, we’re not playing in Rupp Arena.”
More high school basketball: St. Xavier tops rival Trinity in 7th Region final, punches ticket to Sweet 16
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; [email protected]; Follow on X @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball: ZaKiyah Johnson, Malachi Moreno take honors
Continue reading...
