COLUMBUS
Center Grove’s girls basketball team came back late in the fourth quarter against Elkhart Central in the opening round of the Columbus North Invitational on Thursday night.
The Trojans tied the game to force overtime and then prevailed, 52-48.
With her team down two, Trojans senior Ella Thompson hit two free throws late to send the game into overtime at 42-42.
In the overtime, with the score 45-45, Thompson was fouled after draining a go-ahead 3-pointer. She converted the free throw to complete the four-point-play.
“(Thompson) has been doing that all year for us,” Center Grove coach Kevin Stuckmeyer said. “We were down five to 10 early and she hit two big 3s to get us back in it in the first quarter. Otherwise, they could have gapped us.
“Credit to our girls, they are always finding ways to win late.”
Thompson finished with a game-high 22 points, while Emma Utterback added nine for the Trojans, who have won 11 in a row.
Center Grove (12-2) now faces Martinsville, which defeated Zionsville in its opening round match, in an 11:45 a.m. semifinal today.
The Trojans beat the Artesians, 54-38, at home on Dec. 11, but Stuckmeyer isn’t taking the sectional rival lightly.
“We played them once already and they’re already a big time challenge,” Stuckmeyer said. “Their two posts are really solid and have given us a matchup problem. They have two guards that can guard really well and know us really well.”