INDIANAPOLIS
Center Grove’s girls basketball team could have looked at Perry Meridian’s record and right past the Falcons on Tuesday.
The Trojans didn’t and rolled to a 53-32 victory.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Senior guard Cassidy Hardin didn’t enjoy one of her better shooting nights (6 of 18) but still led all scorers with 16 points as coach Kevin Stuckmeyer’s squad upped its record to 16-4.
Junior point guard Ella Thompson finished with 13, while Karinna Frankel, a senior forward, scrapped her way to eight rebounds to lead the Trojans in that category.
Leading from the outset, Center Grove gained a bit of revenge after falling to Perry Meridian last season, 54-53.
“That game last year definitely left a sour taste in our mouth, especially being on Senior Night,” Thomson said. “I just think it made us play extra hard in practice to just be that much more prepared for tonight.”
Ahead 21-11 at halftime, the Trojans opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run thanks to two Hardin triples sandwiched around a Thompson basket. The Falcons could get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Center Grove out-rebounded the home team, 27-20, with Hardin and Thompson securing six and five boards, respectively.
“We’re playing hard, we’re not always playing smart right now,” Stuckmeyer said. “We don’t always make the right decision offensively, or we try to force it just because we’re trying to do so well. We need to slow down a little bit.
“We didn’t shoot real well, and defensively there were little kinks in our armor. But I thought in the third quarter we set the tone. A few shots went down, so that was nice for us. That always helps.”
Center Grove benefited from 11 Falcons turnovers in the opening half to hold its 10-point lead at halftime.
The Trojans shot poorly the first two quarters (9 of 25), but Perry Meridian shot worse (5 of 19). Center Grove never trailed, scoring the game’s first three points and leading by as many as a dozen late in the second.
Led by sophomores Ashley Eck and Claire Rake, the visitors’ bench outscored the Falcons, 9-0, in the opening half and 11-4 for the game.
Perry Meridian, which dropped to 6-13, was led in scoring by junior guard Ariana Booker with 15 points. Sadie Hill, a 6-foot-1 forward signed to play at Murray State starting next season, added 12 and tied Frankel for game rebounding honors with eight.
On Saturday afternoon, Center Grove plays its final conference road game of the season when it travels to Ben Davis.
