‘They were ready for the moment.’ McCracken takes out Sweet 16 frustration on Bethlehem.
Last year, playing in the program’s first state tournament under the bright lights of Rupp Arena, the moment seemed a bit too big for McCracken County.
Fast forward to the 2023 Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Sweet 16 and the Mustangs still had some nerves but also had some steel.
“We knew what we were going to feel, and we just had to come out and bring it,” McCracken senior Destiny Thomas said.
Thomas, the Mustangs’ Miss Basketball candidate and a Murray State signee, led a comprehensive drubbing of Bethlehem in their first-round game Thursday, a 71-41 blowout that might have taken a bit of the sting out of McCracken’s ouster at the same stage a year ago.
“We got here last year with a lot of expectations. And we didn’t play our best last year,” said McCracken Coach Scott Sivills, who brought his team up a day early, got them fed and relaxed and apparently primed for Thursday’s performance. “They were ready for the moment. We were a tad shaky last year at times in the game, but this year, it was a totally different mindset.”
McCracken (33-2) scored the game’s first seven points on its way to a 19-7 first quarter. The Mustangs kept Bethlehem at more than arm’s length the rest of the way, ballooning the lead to 31 at one point in the third quarter.
“Give McCracken County credit. They took us to the woodshed,” Bethlehem Coach Jason Clark said. “We couldn’t get enough stops to do anything.”
Thomas led all scorers with 27 points and had seven rebounds for McCracken, while junior guard Claire Johnson added 23. Johnson agreed last year’s experience helped.
“We were pretty nervous, but compared to last year, it just decreased tremendously,” Johnson said. “It felt a lot easier and more comfortable this year.”
McCracken made Bethlehem (28-8) pretty uncomfortable, though, forcing 22 turnovers and limiting the Banshees to 30.2 percent from the field while it made more than half of its own shots.
Bethlehem’s Miss Basketball candidate, Emma Filiatreau, was held to four points in the first half and 10 for the game. Though junior guard Carlie Thurmond spurred some offense with eight of her 17 points in the third quarter, Bethlehem could not eat into the deficit.
For Filiatreau, the loss marked an end to her basketball career even though as a region player of the year she could find a home on the court somewhere in college.
Instead, she’ll be saddling up for Oklahoma State’s equestrian team competing in her first love, reining.
“I ride every day. I’d stay every day at the barn if I didn’t have to go to school,” Filiatreau said. “I probably won’t change my mind. It is really hard just knowing it’s my last and I’ll probably never play again.”
Clark bragged that his senior is up most days at 5 a.m. to be at the barn and managed to be a region player of the year in basketball besides.
“It shows the work ethic she’s had over the last four years,” Clark said.
Next up, McCracken was to face Ashland Blazer in the 6 p.m Friday quarterfinal. Sivills believed his team would be ready for that game, too.
“We know that this tournament is going to get a little bit tougher,” he said. “I do feel like we’re one of the best teams up here. We have to prove it. And I feel like today, we proved that.”
