Jessica Shepard, ranked as the No. 3 girls basketball player in the Class of 2015 by ESPN.com, will miss the rest of her senior season at Fremont (Lincoln, Neb.) after suffering a torn knee ligament.
Shepard, a 6-4 forward, signed her letter of intent in the early period to remain in her hometown and play at the University of Nebraska.
She suffered the injury during a first-round win against North Star in the Heartland Athletic Conference tournament, a game in which she scored 25 points before she was hurt. An MRI exam Tuesday revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament and she is scheduled to have surgery.
“We just want her to get ready for the next part of her career and to take care of herself,” coach Tony Weinandt told the Lincoln Journal Star. “Her health is our biggest concern. It’s time now for the team to be there for her. She has always been there for them.”
She acknowledged the injury on Twitter shortly after the game.
Shepard is a two-time Gatorade state Player of the Year at different schools. She attended Fremont as a junior and Lincoln Southeast as a sophomore, leading the school to the Class A state title.
She averaged 30.4 points, 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season and was named the American Family Insurance All-USA Nebraska state Player of the Year.
She was part of the gold-medal winning Team USA at the Under 18 World Championships last summer, averaging 12.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Her .667 shooting percentage was second-best in the tournament.
Shepard was averaging 33.8 points per game this season.
