<p>Pretty, it wasn’t.</p><p>In a clash of two defensive-minded mirror images Tuesday night, Center Grove’s girls basketball team hung on for a 42-40 victory over Plainfield.</p><p>With shooting percentages low, intensity high, personal fouls aplenty and the squads combining to turn the ball over 36 times, the visiting Quakers had a quality look at a win.</p><p>However, senior guard Anna Tallent’s 3-point try at the buzzer from the left wing rattled out. Ironically, the only time Plainfield led in the contest was on Tallent’s triple for the game’s first points early in the first quarter.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>Center Grove improved to 6-4 overall, while Plainfield drops to 5-2.</p><p>“I would say (tonight) was a little bit of a break from the norm,” Trojans coach Kevin Stuckmeyer said. “They’re usually pretty solid and very skilled and well-coached. We were pretty sloppy tonight at times, especially in that second half. But (Plainfield) has kind of gone to a little bit of their run and jump pressure to kind of speed up the game.</p><p>“They were able to impose their will for a little bit on us and get it into that type of game.”</p><p>Senior swingman Mary Wilson and sophomore guard Ella Hobson each finished with 12 points to lead the Trojans, while freshman guard Aubrie Booker had 10 and some solid play down the stretch.</p><p>Center Grove clung to a 39-38 advantage when Booker drove the baseline and made a shot underneath with 1:38 remaining. The Quakers responded on a hoop from junior forward Jozee Rhodes 18 seconds later. Booker was fouled with 17.3 seconds left and swished the first of two free throws for what turned out to be the final tally.</p><p>“Booker’s been consistent for us,” Stuckmeyer said. “She does a really nice job of just being consistent, and a lot of times has a quiet stat line, as I call it. You don’t really notice it until the end of the game. She does that for us a lot.”</p><p>Hobson’s four triples enabled Center Grove to open up an 18-9 halftime lead despite the home squad turning the ball over 10 times.</p><p>A myriad of personal fouls rid both squads of key players for a good portion of the opening half.</p><p>Junior forward Ellie Wilkerson, who was averaging a team-high 16 points for Plainfield, picked up two by the 3:58 mark of the opening quarter and didn’t return until 2:20 remaining in the second. Woods took a seat for the Quakers with two fouls at 4:57 of the second; Center Grove’s Wilson received her second barely a minute into the second stanza.</p><p>Wilkerson fouled out with 4:12 left in the fourth and her team trailing, 35-29.</p><p>“We struggled executing on the offensive end against Avon. We worked on that and told the girls we could get better and still not look like we’ve gotten better against (Center Grove),” Plainfield coach Curt Benge said. “They’re so unorthodox with what they do. We don’t play anybody else who plays the way they play.</p><p>“They switch everything (defensively) and they’re good at it. There are lots of teams that switch stuff, but they’re not good at it. That’s who they are. That’s what they do every day.”</p>
