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American Fork's Ashley Baugh suffered what was believed to be a sprained left foot in September.
The 6-foot guard, who is committed to play at Utah Valley University, tried to play through it, hoping the pain and discomfort eventually would subside.
"It wasn't really getting better," said Cavemen coach Corey Clayton, whose team is 7-1.
Clayton said his star guard underwent an MRI early last week to measure the extent of the sprain, but the results revealed that Baugh has at least one fracture in her foot. Clayton also said there is a chance there can be four separate fractures in Baugh's foot, and there currently is no prognosis for when one of American Fork's best players will return.
"It won't be for quite a while," he said. "I just feel bad for her because she's worked so hard for this season. She's suffering because she wants to be out there. She played seven games with at least a fracture or maybe more in the foot, and some of those games she played really well."
Baugh averaged nearly 10 points per game, along with 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the games she was able to play in this season. The lingering discomfort from her foot injury often kept her off the practice floor, and she missed a game in the preseason to try to rest the foot before having the MRI.
"Luckily for us, one of the things that makes us such a strong team is our depth," Clayton said.
The Cavemen won't be able to replace Baugh's all-around game, but Clayton said his team must pick up the pieces and move forward. American Fork beat Alta 62-38 on Friday night in its first game without Baugh.
"As a coach, that's just part of the deal," he said. "You can't cry over spilled milk. I feel bad for [Baugh], but it's got to be the next body up."
Clayton said sophomore Maile Richardson and senior Bryanna Adams are two players who will help the Cavemen attempt to fill Baugh's role. Richardson, a 5-9 forward, is averaging nearly seven points a game, while Adams is averaging just more than four points a game.
"I really think we'll be OK, and hopefully we'll cross our fingers for the prognosis," Clayton said. "All the good teams have injuries. We're not going to make excuses."
Baugh is one of eight seniors on American Fork's team this season, and as Clayton said, the Cavemen aim to lean on all those team leaders, especially senior Cassidy Fraughton, as the year progresses with or without Baugh.
"We have some other players who will step up," he said.
ckamrani@sltrib.comTwitter: @chriskamrani