Coming off a big win against MIC champion No. 6 Lawrence North 31-29, the girls basketball team opens sectional play against Shelbyville at 7:30 tonight in the Vandermeer Gym. The 18-5 Trojans have defeated all other teams in their sectional during the regular season, but Shelbyville (4-19) will be a new competitor they have yet to see this season. Coach Kevin Stuckmeyer knows how challenging it is to win a sectional, having won titles in his first two seasons as head coach. 

“Shelbyville is step one. To win a sectional, you have to win three games in a week, which is really difficult to do,” Stuckmeyer said. “You have to take care of all the intangible things that go into it, and by intangible, I mean we have to be focused and prepared.”

While Center Grove has not yet faced Shelbyville this season, the teams have faced three common opponents: Franklin, Whiteland and Seymour. Center Grove swept the common opponents, while Shelbyville lost all three match ups.

“For Shelbyville, I think they’re a team that’s going to stay in it and do whatever they can to beat a team that’s top in the state,” senior guard Ashley Eck said. “If we’re up the line and don’t let people through it and we grab strong we can rebound.”

Shelbyville is armed with freshman point guard Kylee Edwards, who is averaging 15.9 points per game. 

“A win would be really big for us,” Wilson said. “Because if we really want that sectional championship, getting that first game out of the way will be really good for us.”

The Trojans aim to keep everyone on their team on the same page and focused while keeping the Golden Bears on their feet on the court. 

“The biggest thing for us, Greenwood, Shelbyville, and a lot of the games that we played, is that we have to be ready to give a consistent effort and be at a high level the entire game for what we call 32 minutes and rather than just half of the game,” Stuckmeyer said.