By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
A strong finish couldn’t compensate for a shaky shooting performance in Cooper’s 70-64 loss to Louisville Mercy in the first round of the Kentucky girls state basketball tournament on Thursday at Rupp Arena.
Going into the fourth quarter, Cooper was shooting an anemic 26.3 percent (10 of 38) from the field and fell behind, 63-50, with 2:13 left on the clock. The Jaguars scored on their next six possessions to pull within 68-64, but they missed their last two shots.
“Our girls did everything they could. We just came up a little bit short,” said Cooper coach Justin Holthaus.
Mercy (25-9) moves on to play Henderson County (27-4) in the state quarterfinals on Friday. Cooper, a state semifinalist last year, ends this season with a 29-4 record.
One of the best players in the state led Mercy to the first-round victory. Leah Macy, a 6-foot-2 sophomore forward, scored 37 points and pulled down 21 rebounds. She snagged 18 missed shots on the defensive glass to help limit Cooper to four second-chance points.
“It was just an off-night,” coach Holthaus said. “We didn’t make enough shots and then on the back end we tried to get offensive rebounds, which we typically do. We just didn’t get enough offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities.”
Macy had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, including a stick-back basket that gave Mercy a 20-19 lead with 3:08 left in the second quarter. Cooper closed the quarter with a 7-4 run to go on top 26-24 at halftime.
The Jaguars shot 33 percent (9 of 27) from the field in the first half, but senior forward Whitney Lind was 4-for-7 with a pair of free throws for 10 points.
In the third quarter, Mercy outscored Cooper, 23-12, to open up a 47-38 lead. While Macy was scoring 15 points during that period, the Jaguars made 10 of 10 free throws and only one field goal.
Mercy opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run to take the biggest lead of the game, 55-40, with 6:17 left. Macy then scored seven of her team’s last 15 points to help secure the program’s first state tournament victory since 2018.
The leading scorer for Cooper was Lind with 16 points. Junior guard Liz Freihofer made 11 of 13 free throws for most of her 15 points. She also had four assists and three of her team’s 11 steals.
Mercy point guard Alyssa Murphy sat out the game due to an ankle injury and Cooper was able to score 17 points off 18 turnovers. But the winners ended up shooting 51.3 percent (20 of 39) from the field compared to the Jaguars’ 34.5 percent (19 of 55).
Macy made 11 of 21 field goals and 15 of 20 free throws. Her senior teammate Emma Barnett connected on all four of her 3-point shots. Cooper was 3-for-22 from behind the arc with junior guard Maleah Alexander hitting two treys. The Jaguars’ leading rebounder was senior guard Kay Freihofer with seven.
COOPER 14 12 12 26 — 64
MERCY 12 12 23 23 — 70
COOPER (29-4): Lind 6 4 16, Palmer 3 2 9, Alexander 3 2 10, K. Freihofer 3 2 8, L. Freihofer 2 11 15, Noel 2 2 6. Totals: 19 23 64.
MERCY (25-9): Barnett 5 0 14, Arnold 1 2 4, Macy 11 15 37, Becker 0 3 3, Smith 2 5 9, Fifer 1 1 3. Totals: 20 26 70.
3-point goals: C — Alexander 2, Palmer. M — Barnett 4.
Girls state basketball tournament at Rupp Arena
FRIDAY
Owensboro Catholic (26-9) vs. Louisville Sacred Heart (33-3), 11 a.m.
George Rogers Clark (27-7) vs. North Laurel (30-6), 1:30 p.m.
Ashland Blazer (26-7) vs. McCracken County (33-2), 6 p.m.
Louisville Mercy (25-9) vs. Henderson County (27-4), 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Semifinal games, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Championship game, 7 p.m.