MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Bianca Hensley already had some great memories of the “Glass House,” the nickname given to Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center, from her time as a prep basketball standout.
On Wednesday afternoon, she added some as head coach of the Cleveland girls — and Hensley and the Lady Blue Raiders might not be done making memories there this week.
On the same court where she was named MVP of the 2005 TSSAA Class 2A state tournament after leading Chester County to the championship, Hensley showed her ability to guide a program from the sideline.
Hensley, in her first season at Cleveland after spending the past four at Stewarts Creek, has the Lady Blue Raiders in the state semifinals for the first time since 2008, thanks to their 60-44 victory against Lincoln County in a Class 4A quarterfinal.
“I am super proud of my girls,” said Hensley, a two-time Tennessee Miss Basketball winner who went on to star at Ole Miss. “We have grown tremendously. We finished our summer at the Murphy Center (with an offseason camp), so our goal was to come back here in March and compete for a state championship. We are in the Final Four now.