After the first undefeated season in school history, the girls basketball team entered the post-season with something to prove. After falling to Franklin Central in overtime in the first sectional game last season, the Trojans had their sights set on a sectional championship, this time on their home court.
In the championship game last Saturday, that same Franklin Central team stood in the way.
After rallying in the fourth quarter, freshman Lillia Tapak and sophomore Haley Wagoner hit key free throws to hold off the Flashes, giving Center Grove a 55-50 victory.
The regional matchup tomorrow against Pendleton Heights (22-3) will be a matchup of Center Grove’s defensive-minded game and Pendleton’s high-scoring offense. The Trojans have held opponents to 34.76 ppg, including three times holding competition to 19 points. On the other side of the court, Pendleton Heights averages 61.48 ppg, including scoring over 70 four times this season, with a season high 86 points against Fort Wayne Luers.
Pendleton Heights is led by Adha Hupfer, a 6’3” center who is projected to be a junior All-Star. Hupfer leads the team, averaging a double-double at 20.6 points a game and 13.3 rebounds a game. But Hupfer is not just a low-post presence, shooting 41% from three-point range.
“We just need to stay in front of her and limit her touches in the paint,” senior Gracyn Gillard said. “The biggest challenge will be making sure we’re not over worried about her and then leaving other shooters open.”
And Pendleton Heights has the shooters. Besides Hupfer, the Arabians have three guards who all shoot 30% or better from three-point range. Junior Olivia Jones is the second-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 ppg and contributing 5.5 rebounds per game from the guard position. Junior Sami Brunk is the top three-point threat, shooting 41% from deep, while junior Aubree Warfel shoots 37% behind the line.
“We need to have a high hand on shooters, but once they start to drive we are going to guard them using a proper yardstick instead of overly pressuring them because they are a quick team,” senior Mia Mann said. “This will help us guard the outside shot, but also make sure they aren’t easily driving by us and getting to the basket.”
While Center Grove’s defense has given opponents trouble all season, a key to the regional matchup will be controlling things on the offensive end, especially limiting turnovers.
”It will be extremely important to control the pace of the game because they like to play fast. They do this especially on the defensive end and into their transition offense by jumping the passing lanes and applying a lot of ball pressure,” Tapak said. “If we can stay calm and under control then we can keep the game flow at our pace and not let them make runs off of their defensive pressure.”
With adjustments made for the pressure-heavy style that Pendleton Heights brings, the team will lean on ball movement to stay in control.
“With some teams we have to adjust to their style of play while also controlling the game the way we should,” senior Ella Sprong said. “Ball movement is non-negotiable in our offense. Sometimes we get stuck to one side and reversals are what gets the defense moving to our advantage so it’ll be huge this Saturday to stay composed and play our game.”
With a chance to continue in the tournament, the team’s intensity and focus has been on doing the little things right all week.
”It will take our team playing together and having a focused mindset to win. I think we all need to be a hundred percent physically and mentally to continue and succeed in the regional and so on,” junior MacKenzie Pierce said. “The intensity changes because we have to work just a little bit harder. Every team wants to win and it takes a special kind of team to win.”
The team hopes to continue their winning streak and apply what they have practiced when they take the court Saturday at 7p.m.
