By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
A little-known player from one of Kentucky’s smallest high schools nearly ended Cooper’s season in the first round of the “Sweet 16” girls state basketball tournament on Thursday night at Rupp Arena.
The Jaguars made five free throws in the final 41 seconds to pull out a 65-63 win over Danville Christian Academy, a private school with an enrollment of less than 200. One of their students happens to be 6-foot-4 junior Grace Mbugua, who had 34 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and four blocks in her team’s first state tournament game.
Cooper senior forward Bella Deere slips past Danville Christian junior Grace Mbugua on a drive to the basket. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
“She’s very talented,” Cooper senior Logan Palmer said of Mbugua. “To be just a junior and have that size and be able to finish under the rim like she can, it was definitely a challenge for us.”
When her team fell behind, 58-45, late in the third quarter, Mbugua had seven points, four rebounds and two assists during a 12-2 rally that cut the margin to 60-59 with 3:27 left on the clock.
Cooper scored its final five points at the free throw line with senior guard Liz Freihofer getting the last two that gave the Jaguars a 65-61 lead with 19 seconds left.
Mbugua then made a pair of free throws with six seconds left that cut the final margin to two points.
The close victory moves Cooper (30-4) into the quarterfinals to face Henderson County (26-7) at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Danville Christian ends the season with a 29-3 record. In the final state media poll, the Jaguars were No. 2 while the Warriors didn’t get enough votes to make the top 15.
Mbugua played the entire second half with four fouls, but that didn’t make her any less effective at either end of the court. In the second half, she scored 14 points with three assists, snagged six of her 12 defensive rebounds and blocked three shots.
Cooper guard Haylee Noel adjusts her shot to avoid a block attempt by Emily Musasi of Danville Christian. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
Cooper had four double-figures scorers who offset Mbugua’s offensive output. Palmer got 11 of her 15 points in the first half. Her teammates who reached double digits in the second half were Freihofer (14), Haylee Noel (11) and Belle Deere (10).
In the first quarter, Danville Christian took a 20-12 lead behind near-perfect shooting by Mbugua. She went 6-for-6 from the field with two 3-point goals and 3-of-4 at the line for 17 points in eight minutes.
Cooper opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run to make it 20-18. The Jaguars took their first lead on free throws by Noel that put them ahead, 25-24, and they were on top, 36-33, at halftime.
Officials called 26 fouls in the first half, including four on Mbugua and three each on Palmer and Freihofer. There were less whistles in the second half with 16 fouls.
In the third quarter, Cooper used a 14-5 run to take a 58-45 lead. But Mbugua made the last basket in that period and opened the fourth with a three-point play to start the rally that cut the margin to 60-59.
Danville Christian ended up shooting 54.1 percent (20 of 37) from the field compared to Cooper’s 38.9 percent (21 of 54). The Warriors also had a 32-23 rebounding advantage. Mbugua was 12-of-18 from the field, 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point arc and 7-of-11 at the foul line.
COOPER 12 24 22 7 — 65
DANVILLE CHRISTIAN 20 13 14 16 — 63
COOPER (30-4): Noel 4 3 11, Alexander 0 2 2, Deere 3 2 10, Freihofer 5 3 14, Palmer 4 6 15, Brissey 2 2 6, Scott 1 0 2, Thompson 2 1 5. Totals 21 19 65.
DANVILLE CHRISTIAN (29-3): Mbugua 12 7 34, Metz 3 0 8, Meyer 2 0 6, Blackford 1 1 3, Heck 0 6 6 , Musasi 2 2 6. Totals: 20 16 63.
Three-point goals: C — Deere 2, Freihofer, Palmer. DC — Mbugua 3, Meyer 2, Musasi 2.
Girls state basketball tournament at Rupp Arena
Friday
Bowling Green (24-10) vs. McCracken County (30-5), 11 a.m.
Louisville Butler (27-8) vs. Franklin County (30-6), 1:30 p.m.
Bardstown Bethlehem (27-8) vs. Louisville Sacred Heart (28-7), 6 p.m.
COOPER (30-4) vs. Henderson County (26-7), 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinal games, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
