Center Grove girls reclaim sectional crown

<p>James Brown would have been proud.</p><p>The Center Grove girls soccer team delivered some payback for the second straight match, avenging a season-opening loss to Columbus North with a 2-0 victory in the championship game of the Class 3A Franklin Sectional on Saturday afternoon.</p><p>The eighth-ranked Trojans (16-3) will face host Bloomington South in a regional semifinal match on Saturday afternoon. No. 13 Evansville North and Floyd Central meet in the other semi.</p><p>&quot;I think it fired us up, losing in season to them,&quot; senior Megan Perry said. &quot;We went into this match knowing what they were capable of, and so we wanted to put everything that we had into this game, because we knew it would be a tough one.&quot;</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>After a back-and-forth start that saw each team make a few forays inside the opposing 18-yard line, Perry helped Center Grove break the ice 8 minutes and 31 seconds into the match. With Columbus North goalkeeper Kaylyn Bates caught out a bit too far, Perry took a shot from the right side that found its way into an open net.</p><p>&quot;I saw that the keeper came out,&quot; Perry said, &quot;and I knew that it was now or never, so I just had to take that first shot.&quot;</p><p>Center Grove coach Mike Bishop was thrilled to see his team break the seal first, given how recent meetings with Columbus North have gone.</p><p>&quot;It’s been this way with these two teams for years now,&quot; he said. &quot;Whoever gets the first goal usually ends up winning, just because. I don’t know why; it’s just one of those things. With solid teams, it’s tough to break them down and get in the attacking third and be productive.&quot;</p><p>With 35:32 remaining in the match, the Trojans added to the lead when senior Piper Belden converted a penalty kick after she was taken down in the box while trying to beat a Columbus North defender to a through ball.</p><p>That second goal seemed to shift the tide even more in the Trojans’ favor, as they had the better of play for much of the remaining time.</p><p>Just a couple of minutes after Belden’s tally, Bates turned away a Center Grove breakaway attempt and the rebound shot went wide. Sophomore Macy Detty had a couple of shots that just missed the mark midway through the second half, and classmate Paige Waskom launched a hard shot from deep that Bates had to make a leaping save on.</p><p>The Trojans finished with a 15-12 edge in overall shots, including a 12-4 advantage after halftime. Kelti Wise made six saves to preserve the shutout for Center Grove.</p><p>In addition to the regular-season loss against Columbus North, Perry said the Trojans were also revved up by a sectional semifinal defeat last year that made them just the second Center Grove team in 23 years not to win a sectional championship.</p><p>&quot;Losing last year, we knew that we didn’t want that reputation on us again,&quot; Perry said.</p>