The Center Grove boys basketball team will face one of its stiffest tests of the season Friday night when it travels to face Class 4A No. 5 North Central.
On Tuesday night’s home game against Mooresville was considerably less challenging.
The Trojans (13-6) took command with a pair of 13-0 run in the first half and led by as many as 34 points in the third quarter before calling off the dogs and coasting to a 57-34 triumph.
“We’ve been talking about just putting together a full game, and I thought we played well for 22, 24 minutes tonight,” Center Grove coach Zach Hahn said. “I thought our energy was really good for a Tuesday night game on Valentine’s Day; that’s always tough.”
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryMooresville (4-14) briefly held a 5-4 lead before a Spencer Piercefield 3-pointer sparked a 13-0 surge that put Center Grove back on top for good, 17-5, with 1:27 to go in the opening quarter.
Two more 3s by Travis Roehling and Joey Klaasen ignited another run as the Trojans closed the first half with another 13 unanswered points, stretching their lead to 33-8 by the break.
Mooresville managed just one second-quarter point and was held without a field goal for the final 9:08 of the half.
“More than anything, our closeouts and ball pressure was better than it’s been,” Hahn said of his team’s defense. “And it’s not ball pressure out here 65 feet from the basket, but when you get in the operating area, that’s when we really want to put pressure, and I thought our guys did a good job of tracing the ball, closing out every time. That stuff carries over.”
A pair of Nate McLain baskets keyed a 9-0 burst in the third quarter that gave Center Grove its biggest cushion of the night, 46-12, at the 3:37 mark.
The Trojans kept their starters on the bench the rest of the way, giving the reserves plenty of quality minutes against the Mooresville starters.
Trayce Jackson-Davis was the only player to score in double figures for either team. The Trojans’ sophomore big man took advantage of his superior size early and ended the day with 16 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Klaasen added eight points and seven boards for Center Grove, which got at least five points apiece from seven different players.
