Jeff Sparks can’t pinpoint a specific reason his Manual High School girls basketball team has played so much better since the Christmas break, but he’s not going to worry much about it as long as it continues.
The Crimsons continued their impressive January run Wednesday, getting big games from Krys McCune and Jaela Johnson to beat Sacred Heart 56-53 in the second round of the Republic Bank/Coca-Cola Consolidated Louisville Invitational Tournament at Bellarmine University’s Knights Hall.
Manual lost three straight games in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Cincinnati to close December but is 6-0 in January, including four wins over top-20 teams in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings (two over No. 13 Sacred Heart and one each against No. 6 Eastern and No. 14 Mercy).
“We’re getting better, but the mind-set coming out of the break was so much better than what it was over the break,” Sparks said. “Over the break we were fighting through some mental things. Maybe it was getting back home and getting into some rivalry games.”
McCune, a West Virginia signee, had 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as No. 7 Manual (12-4) advanced to face No. 2 Mercer County in Friday’s 5:30 p.m. quarterfinal. Johnson added 15 points and four assists, and Tonysha Curry pitched in 12 points and nine rebounds.
Grace Berger had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead Sacred Heart (15-6), which also lost to Manual 69-52 on Jan. 9.
Wednesday’s rematch featured 14 lead changes and nine ties and ultimately was decided by the Crimsons’ ability to get offensive rebounds.
Curry missed two free throws with 2:01 remaining but got her own rebound on the second miss and scored to tie the game at 53. McCune’s free throw with 32.9 seconds left gave Manual a 54-53 lead, and the Crimsons again got the rebound when McCune missed her second try.
Manual missed four shots on the next possession before the Valkyries finally got the ball back.
“In a game like that you have to make your own breaks,” Valkyries coach Donna Moir said. “We let them stay at their offensive end way too long in that last minute.”
After a Sacred Heart turnover with 13.6 seconds left, Johnson sank two free throws to give Manual a 56-53 lead with 9.9 seconds remaining. Sacred Heart had a final shot to tie, but Berger’s off-balance 3-point attempt at the buzzer was short.
Manual won the rebounding battle 40-32 and outscored Sacred Heart 14-8 in second-chance points.
“That’s our strength, crashing the boards hard,” Sparks said. “We talked before the game that you have to let your strengths work for you, and it came up big at the end with the rebounds.”
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
SACRED HEART 12 20 9 12 – 53
MANUAL 14 16 13 13 – 56
Sacred Heart (15-6) – Harris 10, Samsel 4, Sivils 6, Taylor 7, Berger 15, Fichter 11.
Manual (12-4) – Ballard 3, Griffin 4, Curry 12, Smith 2, Johnson 15, Blackford 2, McCune 18.
3-point goals – Fichter 3; Ballard, Johnson.
