<p>A year ago, Center Grove girls basketball coach Kevin Stuckmeyer faced the task of replacing an Indiana All-Star in Cassidy Hardin. His team finished with a 22-4 season and a sectional championship.</p>
<p>Now, the Trojans again have to fill a big void, with guards and Daily Journal co-Players of the Year Ella Thompson and Emma Utterback having taken their games to the collegiate level.</p>
<p>Local foes might be looking at a thinned-out Center Grove roster without a lot of familiar names on it and think, hey, the county’s perennial standard-bearer might be vulnerable. But the returning Trojans are looking forward to proving otherwise.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>“It all motivates us to prove everybody wrong,” junior wing Mary Wilson said, “because I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t go as far as we went last year. I think we could even go further in the tournament and have an overall better record. But yeah, I’m definitely excited for people to be wrong on that idea.”</p>
<p>If Center Grove is to silence the doubters, Wilson will likely be a big factor. She’s the team’s top returning scorer at 9.6 points per game — and while she knows she’s going to face far more defensive attention without Thompson and Utterback around, she’s spent the summer getting prepared by taking a lot of shots off the dribble and increasing her strength so she can get to the basket more.</p>
<p>Senior guard Alainna Frankel, who saw regular action off the bench last year, will be shouldering most of the load at the point. She, too, is ready and eager for the opportunity.</p>
<p>“I feel like I can step in and change the game,” she said. “Last year, I didn’t really get the chance, so I’m hoping this year with them being gone I have the chance to open up more and to score more.”</p>
<p>Stuckmeyer and his players all spoke about the likelihood that the Trojans would have a more diverse offensive attack, with the ball moving around more instead of being dominated by the two lead guards.</p>
<p>But Stuckmeyer actually seemed more concerned about replacing the impact that Thompson and Utterback made at the defensive end, where Center Grove averaged eight steals and gave up just 38.5 points a game.</p>
<p>“It might be more of a spread the wealth defensively,” he said.</p>
<p>Only there aren’t many proven commodities back in the fold to lean on. Besides Frankel and Wilson, the only returning regulars are seniors Claire and Emily Rake and Ashley Eck, with the latter out for at least tonight’s season opener due to her extended tournament run in volleyball.</p>
<p>Stuckmeyer expects a lot of help from junior post player Aili Lothamer, who excelled on the junior varsity last winter, but he’ll need to build some more reliable depth over the course of the season.</p>
<p>“Last year we could easily go nine deep,” the coach said. “We’re going to have to find somebody to step up and fill in.”</p>
<p>No matter how short the bench is and how many people expect the Trojans to be in rebuilding mode, the bar is still being set just as high as it always has been internally. Stuckmeyer thought his team was vulnerable last year, too, and that group responded with an 18-game win streak.</p>
<p>So dismiss the Trojans at your own peril.</p>
<p>“It’ll be a challenge to our girls to step up to that and know you’re getting everybody’s best shot,” Stuckmeyer said. “But it doesn’t change our philosophy.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="Scouting the Trojans" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Coach: Kevin Stuckmeyer (third season)</p>
<p>Last season: 22-4, won county and sectional championships; lost to Bedford North Lawrence in Class 4A regional semifinal</p>
<p>Key returnees: Ashley Eck, Alainna Frankel, Claire Rake and Emily Rake, seniors; Mary Wilson, junior</p>
<p>Top newcomers: Aili Lothamer and Emily McWilliams, juniors</p>
<p>What to expect: The Trojans don’t have nearly as much depth or proven scoring coming into this season, so the five returning players who were part of the rotation last season will be called on to shoulder most of the burden, at least early on. It’s an athletic group that should still be able to defend well, so Center Grove will likely be in games even on nights when it struggles offensively. If Wilson can prove effective at creating her own shots and some other players can step up and produce points, the Trojans should again be the team to beat in the county and perhaps in the sectional.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="3 points with Mary Wilson" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><strong>1. Besides your own, what’s your favorite gym to play in?</strong></p>
<p>Probably Whiteland. I don’t know why a lot of players say that it’s their least favorite, because it has really low ceilings, but I just like how bright and open that gym is. We played sectionals in there, and it’s all good memories in there.</p>
<p><strong>2. Which nonconference opponent are you most looking forward to playing?</strong></p>
<p>Hamilton Southeastern. It’s a great opportunity to play great competition. They’ve got one of the best players, if not the best player in the state, Sydney Parrish, so I’m really excited to see what we’ve got as a team and personally what I can do.</p>
<p><strong>3. If you could steal one skill from one of your teammates, what would it be?</strong></p>
<p>Probably Emily Rake and her ability to take charges really well. Her defense, I really admire it a lot.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
