Butler’s Jaelynn Penn drives against Sacred Heart’s Kia Sivils in the second half. March 8, 2017
ST. ELIZABETH HEALTHCARE/KHSAA GIRLS SWEET 16 QUARTERFINAL
Who: Butler (33-2) vs. Murray (27-5).
When: Noon Friday.
Where: BB&T Arena; Highland Heights, Kentucky.
Litkenhous Ratings: No. 1 Butler (117.9), No. 8 Murray (108.2).
Butler’s probable starters: Bre Torrens (5-4, Sr., 7.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg); Tasia Jeffries (5-8, Sr., 10.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg); Teri Goodlett (5-6, Sr., 9.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg); Jaelynn Penn (5-10, Sr., 14.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg); Molly Lockhart (6-3, Jr., 11.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
Murray’s probable starters: Macey Turley (5-7, Jr., 16.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg); Brittany Lawson (5-7, Sr., 6.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg); Alexandria Mayes (5-7, Jr., 13.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Alexis Burpo (5-10, Jr., 12.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg); Maddie Waldrop (6-2, Sr., 12.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg).
Notes: These teams met Dec. 10, with the Bearettes winning 68-50 at Owensboro Catholic’s Independence Bank Classic. It’s also a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 semifinal, which Butler won 68-58. Murray committed 27 turnovers in that game, and Butler converted them into 33 points. … Butler beat Sacred Heart 50-36 in Wednesday’s first round. Indiana University signee Jaelynn Penn led the Bearettes with 15 points. … Murray beat Nelson County 71-30 on Wednesday as Macey Turley posted 19 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Butler coach Larry Just: “Having been here last year and being comfortable in the arena is huge. These seniors have been here since their freshman year, and it’s their third time in the state tournament. I think there’s a lot of difference in that experience, and you start to settle in a little quicker. That helps us tremendously compared to most teams that are here.”
Murray coach Rechelle Turner: “Butler is exceptional. They’re not the No. 1 team in the state for any other reason than they are that good. They have a little bit of everything. They’re deep, they’re big, they’re talented. Coach Just is one of the best coaches I’ve ever gone up against. … But I have a lot of faith in these kids. We have to do a good job taking care of the basketball. Live-ball turnovers against them will kill you. But we’ve grown up a little bit, and I think we’ve learned some from our mistakes.”
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