HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Maddie Waldrop scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Murray to a 58-41 victory over Manual at BB&T Arena Thursday, giving the Tigers a first-ever win in the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Sweet 16.
But the 6-foot-2 junior’s performance was overshadowed by a devastating knee injury suffered by Manual’s Krys McCune with 2:43 left in the first quarter. The Miss Basketball candidate and West Virginia signee crumpled to the floor in pain as trainers tended to her right knee.
“The first thing I thought was I can’t play anymore,” McCune said in the postgame press conference. “The pain was just so bad. … I’m just really sad right now.”
GALLERY: Manual-Murray
Those in BB&T Arena sat silently as McCune laid on the floor for several minutes. After going back to the locker room to get her knee wrapped, she made her way back to the bench on crutches to be with her teammates. She’s scheduled to have an MRI on the knee Friday morning.
Without the 6-3 McCune, Waldrop was able to dominate inside, and once the second half started, the Tigers – the No. 7 team in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings – used a suffocating defense to dominate the No. 6 Crimsons (21-8) and extend their winning streak to 28 games. Murray faces the winner of Harlan-Owensboro Catholic in a Friday night quarterfinal.
The Crimsons, who led by one at halftime, shot just 17.4 percent and committed 16 of their 28 turnovers after halftime, when they scored just 12 points.
Waldrop said the Tigers (34-1) pressure made it seem like they got a hand on every pass Manual tried.
“I knew the momentum shift once our girls just put everything on the line, got every rebound, touched every ball and then of course pushing out in transition,” she said.
Manual raced out to an 11-0 lead, but Murray cut the deficit to three points before McCune left the game. Murray coach Rechelle Turner said the injury made her change her game plan.
“It enabled us to us to spread the floor and pressure them more than we thought that maybe we could with her in the game,” Turner said.
And without McCune’s presence on the court, the Crimsons allowed Murray to grab 15 offensive boards. That offset Murray’s 35.8 shooting.
The injury had an emotional toll as well on Manual, coach Jeff Sparks said.
“I think it was a combination,” he said. “Murray did a good job defensively taking us out of our rhythm and forcing us into some turnovers. We just didn’t handle that pressure too well in the second half, and I think to a certain extent, some of their minds were on (McCune’s injury). We tried to get them out of that, just tried to keep them in the moment as best we could. I thought they fought and tried to do that.”
McCune wasn’t the only star player to go down with an injury. Murray lost starting point guard Macey Turley to an apparent ankle sprain with 7:09 left in the game. While Turner said the team’s trainer offered to tape her, the coach decided to keep her on the bench the rest of the way.
Turner feels confident the 5-7 sophomore and team’s second leading scorer will play in the quarterfinals.
“It is quick turnaround, but she’s a competitor,” Turner said. “She’ll be out there tomorrow one way or another.”
MANUAL 13 16 3 9 – 41
MURRAY 10 18 14 16 – 58
Manual (21-8) – McCune 2, Ballard 13, Griffin 6, Curry 7, Johnson 10, Blackford 3.
Murray (34-1) – Burpo 9, Waldrop 22, Mayes 9, Ma. Turley 7, Lawson 8, Mo. Turley 3.
3-point goals – Ballard, Griffin 2, Johnson 2; Ma. Turley, Lawson 2.