Sacred Hearts Meredith Wade (left) and Crystal Kelly celebrate their 42-40 win over Lexington Catholic in the championship game of the Houchens Industries KHSAA Girls Sweet 16. Miranda Pederson/Daily News

It took a little thievery to decide the championship game of the Girls Sweet 16.Sacred Heart (37-1) nearly had its second-straight championship stolen by Lexington Catholic (32-5) after losing a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead. But the Valkyries rallied with two key steals in the final 15 seconds and held on for a 42-40 victory Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena. We just stayed with the game plan, Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir said. We knew we had to come up with our best defensive lineup at the end and (they) came up big. Sacred Heart had trouble handling the ball for most of the game, committing as many turnovers as they had shot attempts 26.Still, the Valkyries were able to control the game with their defense. Lexington Catholic shot 29.8 percent from the field for the game, including 22.7 percent in the first half. Despite the cold shooting, the Lady Knights raced out to a 5-0 lead. Sacred Heart sophomore guard Carly Ormerod hit back-to-back 3s that started a 12-0 Valkyries run, giving SHA a 12-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Sacred Heart lead stayed ranged from five- to nine points for the next quarter. The Valkyries opened a double-digit lead, 25-13, on a layup by Ormerod with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter. Junior center Crystal Kelly put Sacred Heart up 29-15 midway through the third quarter before Lexington Catholic made its comeback. The Lady Knights closed the third quarter with a 9-2 run and opened the final quarter with an 11-3 run to regain the lead 35-34 with 4:14 remaining. Kelly gave the Valkyries the lead back after two free throws, but Lexington Catholic regained the lead 38-36 on a 3 by Lesley Server with 2:54 remaining. Sacred Heart bounced back with a putback from Connie Ferch and two Kelly free throws to regain the lead 40-38 with 1:27 left. Shannon Novosels back door layup tied the score at 40, and Sacred Heart turned the ball over, giving Lexington Catholic a chance to win the game. But the Lady Knights celebration was thwarted by Ormerod, who intercepted a pass from Novosel to Sarah Schell and raced to the basket. We knew we had to score, Ormerod said. There was only 10 seconds left, so I had to do something. Schell fouled Ormerod on the shot, sending last years championship game MVP to the line with a chance to give the Valkyries a lead with 8.3 seconds remaining. Ormerod drained both free throws, giving SHA a 42-40 lead. The Lady Knights had a chance to tie, but Kristina Kleinert preserved the title for Sacred Heart with a steal as time expired. We played a great game and gave a great effort, Lexington Catholic coach Greg Todd said. Sacred Heart made a couple of plays when they had to and it ended up their title. I was really proud of our girls and our effort. Kelly led the Valkyries with 14 points and was selected the tournaments most valuable player. It wasnt a pretty game at all we had to fight for everything we got, Kelly said. Ormerod added 13 points and joined Kelly and Ferch, who had six points, on the all-tournament team. Chelsea Chowning had 13 points in her final game for Lexington Catholic. Chowning was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow Lady Knights Schell and Novosel. Other all-tournament selections were Arnika Brown and Corky Stiger from Christian County, Paige Guffey from Clinton County, Jackson Countys Sarah Elliott, Jade Perry from Muhlenberg North, Toni Slaughter and Charlotte Marshall from Shelby County, Perry County Centrals Holly Sebastian and Washington Countys Brittany Edelen. Sacred Heart 12 6 13 11 – 42Lexington Catholic 5 6 13 16 – 40Sacred Heart (42) Ormerod 13, T. Kopple 5, Ferch 6, Kleinert 2, B. Kopple 2, Kelly 14.Lexington Catholic (40) Server 6, Davis 2, Schell 2, Chowning 13, Sickles 5, Novosel 12.