Center Grove never trailed in Thursday’s game until the final 30 seconds of the third quarter, and even then the Trojans took the advantage back with buzzer beating 3-pointer.
But being in the lead isn’t always the same as being in control, and Center Grove coach Kevin Stuckmeyer never felt like his team had command of the game. So it wasn’t stunning to him when a 6-0 run by Bloomington South midway through the fourth quarter created a hole too big for the Trojans to dig out of. Center Grove made it interesting by scrambling South with a full-court press in the final two minutes, but the Panthers made enough free throws to come away with a 52-48 win.
After finishing last season 20-6, the Trojans already have five losses this season against six wins.
“We pride ourselves on doing things the right way,” Stuckmeyer said. “All the little things. We just didn’t get that done tonight.”
Stuckmeyer didn’t see enough attention to detail on either end. There were too many turnovers and too many offensive rebounds allowed. On neither end did he see his team dictating the action.
“We weren’t really together offensively,” Stuckmeyer said. “We kind of just quick shot it. When we went in, we didn’t shoot it to score. We were just kind of flipping it. And on the defensive end, they felt comfortable on offense all night. They just felt relaxed as we went, and we started feeling the pressure because we didn’t take care of those things that win games.”
The Trojans took a 9-2 lead out of the gate thanks to three straight 3-pointers by senior wing Mary Wilson, all of which came from almost the same spot at the right elbow. However, Center Grove struggled to get production elsewhere. Wilson finished with 19 points and no one else on the roster scored more than five.
South answered Wilson’s early barrage with a 6-2 run and never allowed the Trojans’ lead to grow beyond six points after that. The deficit was just 22-19 at halftime, and the Panthers took a 34-32 lead on a 3-pointer by senior Brooke Grinstead with about 25 seconds to go in the third. Center Grove sophomore Ella Hobson drilled a 3-pointer of her own at the end of the quarter to make it a 35-34 game, but the momentum was turning toward South.
The Panthers took complete control thanks to three straight buckets by senior Anya Friend, who led all scorers with 21 points. The Panthers led 46-38 with just over two minutes to go, and the Trojans had to bring a full-court press the rest of the way to try to claw back the lead they had lost.
Center Grove had some success in that regard. Back-to-back steals lead to a layup and a 3-point play by Wilson that cut the deficit to 46-43. The Trojans created a steal on the ensuing possession, but couldn’t maintain possession and found themselves forced to put South on the line. Center Grove cut the South lead to two points twice, but the Panthers made their final six free throws to put the game away.
“That looks nice,” Stuckmeyer said of the pressure. “The game changes when they’re up eight with a minute to go. It’s kind of no-lose for us and almost no-win for them. We caused some turnovers and competed, but that mentality and that approach and that energy level needed to happen a lot earlier to control that game.”
