Daily Journal file photo
Aubrie Booker is getting a two-year head start on embracing the concept of senior leadership.
The 2021-22 Center Grove girls basketball roster is comprised entirely of underclassmen who are being counted on to lend both a voice and example to what coach Kevin Stuckmeyer is drawing up.
Unlike previous seasons, this Trojans squad contains no seniors.
“Me and Ella Hobson are going to step up as leaders because we don’t have any seniors, and we had three last year,” said Booker, a 5-foot-8 guard who averaged 7.1 points last season as the Trojans finished 15-11. “Everyone on our team meshes well together, and most of us knew each other last year.”
Hobson, a junior and another of the many guards on the Trojans roster, produced 7.0 points a contest. Junior guard Emily Karr (4.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) is another player who took part in every game a year ago, as did sophomore Audrey Annee (3.7 ppg).
Center Grove’s list of newcomers is every bit as impressive, led by 5-9 junior guard Savanna Bischoff, who played at Roncalli the past two seasons and averaged 7.1 points and 4.8 boards as a sophomore for a Royals squad that finished 20-5. Another junior, 5-10 guard/forward Ali Wiesmann, averaged 4.1 points for Perry Meridian, while 6-3 sophomore Rachel Wirts, previously homeschooled, gives the Trojans a much-needed post presence.
Bischoff’s sister, Lilly, a 5-7 freshman, is also expected to earn varsity minutes.
Should the younger Bischoff wonder about her chances of cracking the starting lineup as a ninth-grader, she needs to look no further than Booker, who scored in double digits eight times and tallied a total of 35 points in Center Grove’s three sectional games.
Booker is expected to play mostly the 2 this season, but could see time at the 3 with the graduation of last year’s top scorer, Mary Wilson, a four-year starter who scored more than 1,000 career points.
The Trojans could potentially benefit from playing six of their first eight games at home; nine of the final 13 games are away.
“It’s always difficult for a freshman to contribute, much less start and become at least our second-most consistent scorer,” Stuckmeyer said of Booker. “Aubrie will be asked this season to be more of a focal point, and has added to her repertoire of scoring the basketball.
“She’s starting to become one of our leaders vocally. We need our juniors and sophomores to be our leaders. Aubrie has played as much as anybody, really, so it’s natural for her.”
