Greenwood’s girls basketball team appeared poised to hang with Class 4A No. 7 Center Grove on Tuesday night. The Woodmen trailed 7-6 with 45 seconds left in the first quarter, and their tight man-to-man defense appeared to be giving the Trojans some difficulty.
Then, Center Grove seized complete control.
The Trojans reeled off 16 straight points and outscored Greenwood 32-4 over a stretch that spanned into the third quarter. By then, Center Grove led 39-10 and cruised from there to a 67-25 road win over their county rivals.
“We just settled in,” Trojans coach Kevin Stuckmeyer said of their big run. “You can never fault our girls for how hard they play. Sometimes, they’re trying so hard when they need to settle in. Once we did that, the girls did a nice job of playing together.”
The Trojans got contributions from everyone. All 11 players who saw playing time scored, and all three of their double-figure scorers did so while coming off the bench.
Mary Wilson led the way for Center Grove (19-2) with 17 points, all but two coming during that 32-4 run. Claire Rake added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and Katie Egenolf added 10.
“That was pretty neat to see,” Stuckmeyer said of the scoring distribution. “We have nine girls who could start for us. Claire Rake and some of the reserves have played key minutes, and a game like this validates what they do for us.”
Center Grove, which won its 18th straight game, dominated almost every statistical category. The Trojans forced 22 turnovers and committed only six. They shot 47.2 percent from the floor (25 of 53) to Greenwood’s 28.6 percent (8 of 28). They also hit 8 of 18 from 3-point range (compared to Greenwood’s 2 of 10) and outrebounded the Woodmen 28-17.
The rebounding disparity bothered Greenwood coach Justin Bennett the most.
“Early on, we played with a lot of energy and we played with a sense of urgency,” he said. “Center Grove hit some shots, and we got down on ourselves. With rebounding, you have to be willing to compete. We’re undersized, and Center Grove’s one of the top defensive teams in the state, but we have to be confident and learn that we can play with anyone.”
Freshman Quinn Kelly led the Woodmen (4-17) with nine points and five rebounds.
Greenwood concludes regular-season play Friday at home against Mid-State Conference rival Perry Meridian. Center Grove will put its win streak on the line Friday at 10th-ranked Lawrence North.
