GAME 5: MANUAL VS. MURRAY, NOON THURSDAY
MANUAL
* Coach: Jeff Sparks.
* Record: 21-7.
* Nickname: Crimsons.
* Location: Louisville.
* Region: Seventh.
* Enrollment: 1,896.
* Litkenhous Rating: 105.8 (No. 6 in state).
* Sweet 16 trips: 10th (21-8).
* Last trip to State: 2013 (lost to Notre Dame 64-60 in the semifinals).
* What to look for: The Crimsons are a versatile team that feature both quickness and size. They love to score off the transition. Manual also has made some adjustments on defense that are just beginning to bear fruit. In Saturday’s regional final, they held No. 3 Male to 27.1 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers.
* Key player: While Krys McCune is a finalist for Miss Basketball, sophomore guard Jaela Johnson plays a big role for the Lady Crimsons. The 5-5 Johnson averages a team-high 14.9 points per game and shoots nearly 43 percent from the 3-point line. She’s averaged 16.2 points in postseason play, including 26 against the Lady Bulldogs Saturday.
* Coach-speak: “We have mixed in the zone (defense) of late,” Sparks said. “That’s something we’ve turned to a little bit more in the postseason. … We’ve been able to cause some problems for teams because we can play a big zone. You mix in some of the athleticism that we have, we’ve found some success with that. So, that’s really been the late-season change was mixing up defenses yet again.”
STARTERS
11-Amara Ballard
5-6, Sr., 3.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg
33-Jaela Johnson
5-5, So., 14.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg
21-Aniah Griffin
5-10, So., 6.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
23-Tonysha Curry
5-10, Jr., 9.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg
55-Krys McCune
6-3, Sr., 9.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg
KEY RESERVES
41-Nila Blackford
5-11, Jr., 3.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg
3-Jolene Ballard
5-4, Sr., 1.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg
25-Nyah Smith
5-5, Jr., 1.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg
MURRAY
* Coach: Rechelle Turner.
* Record: 33-1.
* Nickname: Tigers.
* Location: Murray.
* Region: First.
* Enrollment: 477.
* Litkenhous Rating: 105.5 (No. 7 in state).
* Sweet 16 trips: Third (0-2).
* Last trip to State: 2010 (lost to Rockcastle County 69-36 in first round).
* What to look for: Although they may not be a familiar name to people outside of western Kentucky, the Tigers have been one of the best programs in their region in recent years. Murray has advanced to the regional final six of the last seven years, and last year the Tigers lost in the last second to Covington Holy Cross in the All “A” championship. This year they look to duplicate the Indians’ feat by winning both the All “A” and Sweet 16. While Murray has four players averaging at least 10 points a game, its trademark is on defense, where the Tigers allow only 38.7 points a game, sixth-best in the state.
* Key player: Turner said the team’s depth is the primary reason for its success, but Macey Turley is the player who drives the team. The 5-7 sophomore is the second-leading scorer on the team, and at point guard, Turley, whose 87 percent free-throw shooting is third-best in the state, makes the other players on the floor better as well, her coach added.
* Coach-speak: “With the disappointment that we ran into last season, getting beat in the last seconds of the Class A state final and not being able to finish the season and get to the Sweet 16, we used that as fuel in the off-season and throughout the year to try to make sure we stayed focused each and every day to give us an opportunity to compete on the state’s biggest level,” Turner said.
STARTERS
4-Lex Mayes
5-7, So., 10.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg
5-Macey Turley
5-7, So., 14.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg
34-Lily Ramey
5-8, Sr., 4.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg
32-Alexis Burpo
5-10, So., 10.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg
21-Maddie Waldrop
6-2, Jr., 14.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg
TOP RESERVES
11-Morghen Turley
5-8, Sr., 3.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg
15-Grace Campbell
5-9, Jr., 2.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg
2-Brittany Lawson
5-7, Jr., 6.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg
20-Lydia Grogan
5-6, So., 1.8 ppg, 0.6 rpg
41-Loryn Carver
5-10, Jr., 1.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg
-Steve Bittenbender