By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Taking the lead away from the Cooper girls basketball team is not an easy task. Bowling Green found that out Friday during a 55-47 loss to the Jaguars in the quarterfinals of the Mingua Beef Jerky/KHSAA “Sweet 16” state tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Cooper (25-9) had a 12-point lead in each half. Bowling Green made runs that reduced it to four points in the second quarter and three points in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars withstood those charges to get the win.
“We knew it was going to be a test for the full 32 minutes, and it was,” said Cooper head coach Justin Holthaus. “It took a full 32 minutes to get that one done. It’s a credit to our kids again, just their resiliency, the toughness, the fight.”
Cooper’s first appearance in the girls state tournament continues Saturday when the Jaguars take on defending champion Louisville Sacred Heart in a semifinal game at 1:30 p.m.
Sacred Heart (34-3) was voted No. 1 in the final Associated Press statewide media poll. The Valkyries defeated third-ranked George Rogers Clark, 50-36, in Friday’s quarterfinals to move one step closer to back-to-back titles.
The first semifinal game at 11 a.m. Saturday will be Pulaski Southwestern (27-7) vs. Bullitt East (32-4). The championship game is set for 7 p.m Saturday.
Cooper sophomore guard Liz Freihofer had a big game in the win over Bowling Green. She scored 20 points — going 6 of 6 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line — along with four rebounds and three assists.
When Bowling Green pulled to within four points, 16-12, with 4:36 left in the second quarter, Freihofer scored eight of her team’s next 10 points to help the Jaguars build a 26-17 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Cooper junior forward Whitney Lind scored eight of her 19 points and the Jaguars opened up a 12-point lead twice. After they went ahead, 38-26, Bowling Green made a sputtering comeback and eventually cut the margin to 50-47 with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter.
But the comeback fizzled after a third Bowling Green starter fouled out and Cooper made five of eight free throws to close out the game.
The Jaguars shot 41.7 percent (15 of 36) from the field compared to Bowling Green’s 38.2 percent (13 of 34).
Bowling Green’s leading scorer was junior guard Tanaya Bailey with 17 points. Junior forward Meadow Tisdale finished with seven points, eight below her average. Cooper’s other double-figure scorer was junior guard Kay Freihofer, who got eight of her 11 points in the second half.
Officials called 46 fouls during the game. At the free throw line, the Jaguars made 23 of 35 and the Purples knocked down 20 of 32. Cooper won the battle on the boards, 29-25, and had an 11-6 advantage in second-chance points.
COOPER 14 12 12 17 — 55
BOWLING GREEN 6 11 13 17 — 47
COOPER (25-9): Lind 5 8 19, K. Freihofer 3 4 11, L. Freihofer 6 8 20, L. Palmer 0 2 2, Noel 1 1 3. Totals: 15 23 55.
BOWLING GREEN (29-8): Tisdale 2 3 7, Shelton 1 4 6, Bailey 6 5 17, James 3 4 11, Franklin 1 4 6. Totals: 13 20 47.
3-point goals: C — Lind, K. Freihofer. BG — James.
