For the Daily Journal
One simple defensive switch made all the difference Thursday for Center Grove’s girls basketball team.
The Trojans, trailing 12-5 early in the second quarter against visiting Bloomington South, junked their man-to-man approach for a 2-1-2 zone, which rattled the Panthers. Center Grove scored the game’s next 17 points, held Bloomington South to six points in the second and third quarters combined and cruised to a 53-34 nonconference victory.
The win gave the Trojans eight straight after dropping their season opener to Plainfield, and the Panthers fell to 3-5.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryWhile Center Grove coach Shawn Sanders wasn’t completely pleased with the Trojans’ showing, he lauded the effort and execution, especially on the defensive end.
“We’re a good team that’s trying to become a great team,” Sanders said. “We’re struggling with our rebounding and we’re still a little slow on the help side (defensively), but they’re so coachable.”
Indeed, Bloomington South outrebounded Center Grove 29-15, but the Trojans’ defense helped offset that. They forced 20 turnovers while committing just nine themselves.
The Trojans managed just four field goals the entire first half, but drew plenty of fouls driving to the basket to make up for it, and cashed in at the foul line. They hit 12 of 15 free throws in the first half and 15 of 19 overall.
Cassidy Hardin’s game was a perfect summary. The junior Purdue recruit took just five shots all night, but made four of them and hit all four of her free-throw tries to produce a game-high 14 points. Her only miss was on a transition layup in the fourth quarter off a turnover.
“She gets face-guarded everywhere she goes, so she’s used to it,” Sanders said of Hardin. “She wasn’t too happy with her shooting in the Lawrence Central game (a 49-19 win Dec. 2), so she put up hundreds of shots since then.”
Allison Utterback added 11 points for Center Grove, hitting all four of her field-goal tries, while Ella Thompson and Val Clark each added seven points.
Addisyn Blackwell led Bloomington South with 13 points and pulled down six rebounds, while Marina Blackwell added 10 points and a game-high 11 boards.
Sanders said the Trojans don’t normally employ unconventional defenses such as the one they used during the second and third quarters Thursday night but added that defense has been a hallmark throughout their 8-1 start. Center Grove allows 40.7 points per game, which the coach said is within a point or so of the school record.
“We work a lot on our offense, but last year, when we started defending, that’s when we started winning,” Sanders said. “We’re not scoring a ton of points (53.7 per game), but we don’t have to if we defend this well.”
