Center Grove junior Emily Karr shoots the basketball over Franklin Central defenders on Tuesday during Center Groveճ 45-48 loss at Center Grove High School.
With no seniors on the roster and several new faces playing key roles, it wasn’t entirely surprising that the Center Grove girls basketball team didn’t look anything like a finished product in its season opener on Tuesday night.
That doesn’t mean Trojans coach Kevin Stuckmeyer wasn’t expecting better.
Hampered by inconsistent play at both ends, the Trojans kept it close throughout but couldn’t finish the deal in a 48-45 loss to Franklin Central.
“We don’t have an identity,” Stuckmeyer said. “The hope is when you play Center Grove that you at least know what identity that you’re going to see. There’s going to be a toughness to you, there’s going to be a sense of urgency, there’s going to be a competitiveness, we’re going to take care of the ball, we’re going to get great shots, we’re going to make you earn it and feel uncomfortable at that end. And our identity wasn’t there.
“From start to finish, I would imagine most people watching that game felt like they were in control.”
Still, the Trojans managed to stay within striking distance all night.
Center Grove struggled offensively in the early going, with its only points in the first six and a half minutes coming on a 3-pointer from Savanna Bischoff. The Trojans did gradually warm up, tying the game at 10-10 early in the second quarter when Ella Hobson found Aubrie Booker for a back-door layup.
Another 3 by Bischoff with with 6:33 remaining in the half briefly gave the Trojans the lead at 14-13. But the Flashes responded with a 9-0 run, getting consecutive steals and layups from Carys Wilson and Rayah Kincer followed by a Kincer 3-pointer to take a 22-14 lead midway through the second period.
Bischoff scored the first five points of the third quarter on a layup and a 3 to tie the game back up at 26-26, then hit another deep ball to put Center Grove ahead at 29-28. Kincer, though, took control of the period from there. The senior scored 11 of her game-high 22 points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining, to send the visitors into the final period with a 40-33 advantage.
The Trojans battled back in the fourth, twice cutting the deficit to one point, but each time the Flashes’ lead was threatened they had an answer. Freshman Lily Graves, who scored all of her 15 points from long distance, hit a pair of 3s in the final 5:24 to help keep Center Grove at bay.
“We just lost her,” Stuckmeyer said. “We just had breakdowns where we lost Graves in the corner, and obviously, she’s a talented player and can knock it in, and she made big shots when she needed them.”
A Hobson trey at the 1:35 mark got the home team within one at 46-45, but Kincer knocked down a pair of free throws with 22.8 seconds left and the Trojans couldn’t get a good look at the rim on their final possession.
Bischoff led Center Grove with 14 points, while Booker added 11 and Hobson and Emily Karr chipped in eight apiece. Wilson wound up with 11 for Franklin Central, which only had three girls in the scoring column.
Stuckmeyer hopes his team can come closer to finding an identity before Saturday, when it ventures north to face Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern.
“We just have to have a heightened sense of focus and a heightened sense of urgency with what we do,” the coach said. “Make it a priority and continue to compete in the right way.”
