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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 68 North coach Chris Giffin said a few days before Cooper was injured in the regional. "I'm going to be in West La- fayette more to watch her than I need to be. She's a coach's dream. Her work ethic and versatility and the all-around person that she is, she's special. I think she's going to immediately help the culture, the toughness, the defense and versatility, everything there." That fight was on display in the regional final Feb. 21. Against Pike, Cooper was first injured on a drive to the basket, when her left knee buckled while she was going up for a floater. But after being helped to the sideline, she was soon back up on her feet, walking, jogging and jumping to test the joint. A trainer checked it out, too, and thought it was OK. But after re-entering, the knee gave again on a fast break, but she still wasn't quite done. Instead, she played through, getting to halftime where she could once again give the knee a look. And once again, tests appeared to show the knee was in at least relative- ly good condition. "I warmed up a little bit (after half- time) and shot and thought it was OK, so I started the third quarter and ran down a few times," she said. "I tried to play defense. … (But) it did that thing again, when it felt like it hyperextend- ed and I fell again. Then, I was done for the night, but they still didn't think it was the ACL." Cooper had, after all, stayed in the game, not a common occurrence for a player having suffered a severe knee injury. "I think it was the first time," Coo- per said. "It was a partial, not full, so that was a reason (why we didn't know) and adrenalin played a part. It was the regional championship game — I'm a senior, it's my last chance — it was all that, too." Although Cooper didn't get the state title during her senior season, she's trying to take the most optimis- tic view; now, she'll be able to rehab in the offseason before playing her fresh- man year at Purdue. And she comes in, with fellow signees Dominique Mc- Bryde, Tiara Murphy and Nora Kiesler, thinking she can help spark a quick rebuild. "I'm really excited," she said. "We're supposed to be the group that helps turn around the program. I want to help." j PURDUE B I L L I A R D I T E M S Gold and Black • 2605 Yeager Road • West Lafayette, IN 47906 • 1-800-876-4678 Visit the store at GoldandBlackDigital.com for great Purdue Boilermaker Fan items! Premium quality, officially licensed Purdue billiard items perfect for your game room, man cave or Boilermaker fan hangout! Billiard Table Cover (Item # 7522) $129 + $15 S&H Billiard Cue (Item # 7521) $55 + $15 S&H Billiard Ball Set (Item # 7520) $145 + $15 S&H Items are dropshipped direct from the manufacturer. Please allow time for processing. Returns not related to damage may be subject to a restocking fee. Please add sales tax if you are a resident of Indiana.