To Kevin Stuckmeyer’s credit, he isn’t thinking any more about win streaks than he was the second week of November.
The Center Grove girls basketball coach is focused on improving his team to the best of his abilities before the postseason begins.
On Tuesday, the Class 4A No. 7 Trojans took the latest step, blitzing visiting Perry Meridian, 51-30, extending their win streak to 16 games.
Three of the four Trojan seniors were in the starting lineup — forward Kylie Storm and guards Ella Thompson and Emma Utterback — while guard Amanda Hoffman saw minutes in a reserve role.
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Despite a poor shooting performance from the floor (18 of 48), the Trojans did what needed to be done to run their record to 17-2.
“We preach process. We preach taking care of the little things and doing everything you’re supposed to do, and the results take care of themselves,” Stuckmeyer said. “Our girls have done a phenomenal job of that.
“I thought we lost that a little bit tonight. I don’t know that we quite had our mentality that we typically have. We had a few cracks in the armor. Hopefully we can shore that up. The season’s a grind. It’s really tough to have that mentality, and it’s been a credit to our girls to have that so consistently.”
Sophomore Mary Wilson, a 5-foot-10 forward, came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points and grab four rebounds for Center Grove. Utterback finished with 14 points, while Thompson had nine and freshman backup forward Katie Egenolf five.
The score was tied at 4-4 early in the opening stanza when Wilson entered the game and immediately knocked down a 12-foot jumper. She then hit consecutive 3-pointers to push her squad to a 14-8 lead.
“Once I make my first couple of shots, it really gives me confidence to keep taking more of them,” said Wilson, who made her first three attempts on her way to a 6-of-8 shooting performance. “I just give credit to my teammates for getting me the ball.”
Perry Meridian’s lone lead was 4-2, but the Trojans tied it on a pair of Thompson free throws and went on to dominate.
Center Grove was ahead 16-11 after one quarter, and then started the second with a 7-0 scoring run. An old-fashioned three-point sequence by Egenolf was followed by two Utterback free throws and a nifty left-handed drive to the basket by Thompson.
The Trojans dominated the second quarter, limiting the Falcons just three free throws to hold a 30-14 lead at halftime. The Trojans led by as many as 24 points, 50-26, late in the game.
Perry Meridian’s top scorer was senior guard Ariana Booker with 11 points. She and teammate Caitie Baird shared rebounding honors with seven each.
