Kennedy High School junior Morgan Martin will begin therapy on her injured left knee Wednesday and hopes to start playing basketball again in early January, her mother told the Metro Sports Report Tuesday morning.

Denise Martin said her daughter apparently "stretched or tore" the medial patellofemoral ligament on the outside of her left knee. She described the MPFL ligament as a "little strap" on the side of the knee that keeps the kneecap in place.

Martin was injured during Friday night's game against Dubuque Wahlert at Kennedy. She was examined by Dr. Matt White Saturday morning and had an MRI Monday afternoon.

Dr. White called the family Monday night with the results of the MRI, but said he also wanted to check with the radiologist before making a final diagnosis.

"The doctor said he's 99 percent sure it's not an ACL problem," Denise Martin said. "He looked it over pretty good and he couldn't find anything wrong with the ACL."

If Martin had torn her ACL, she would have missed the rest of the season. If the MPFL diagnosis is correct, Martin might be able to play again in four weeks.

"He's hoping he can get her back full-strength by the first of the year," Denise Martin said.

Morgan Martin is a 6-foot-1 junior who transferred to Kennedy from Quincy (Ill.) Notre Dame this year. She was an all-state player in Illinois and hopes to play college basketball at one of the U.S. military academies.

"She's gotten a lot of letters from a lot of people," Denise Martin said, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Martin collected 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in her debut for Kennedy this season against Cedar Falls. She was hurt in the first quarter against Wahlert in Game 2.

Denise Martin said her daughter used crutches over the weekend, but did not use them Monday due to wet grounds and the fear of slipping. She described her daughter as "stiff-legged" and said she has difficulty bending her knee, but she can gently put some weight on the knee.

"She really took quite a blow to that area," Denise Martin said.

The Cougars are 3-0 and ranked No. 9 in Class 5A.