How McCutcheon girls basketball finally outlasted Benton Central in a grimy affair
LAFAYETTE — Transitioning into a new year can be messy, uncoordinated and unsavory at times.
The same could be said about the McCutcheon and Benton Central high school girls basketball teams. Neither had played a game in a week while carrying double-digit winning streaks of their own heading into 2024.
Scoring? It was hard to come by. Thursday marked the first day of school for both teams returning from winter break. And the rust on the offensive side showed early on across the floor.
What stayed consistent for McCutcheon was its ability to break the opposition down with its rebounding and get baskets from different sources. And it was sophomore Chloe Finney and senior Aubri Mullendore who provided the spark for the Mavericks.
Finney scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Mullendore added five points in the fourth quarter including a layup with 5:06 to play and McCutcheon outlasted Benton Central 37-36 at Resler Gymnasium on Thursday.
McCutcheon (14-2) won its 11th straight win and snapped a nine-game losing streak to Benton Central. The Mavericks hadn't beaten the Bison since Nov. 18, 2016.
"It was a hard game to play basketball," Finney said. "We work hard on rebounding. We are all just super close and we're like a family."
Benton Central (16-3) held McCutcheon freshman leading scorer Lillie Graves to six points — her lowest point total of the season — but the Bison struggled to convert layups and missed critical free throws in the final four minutes.
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Senior Sarah Gick led the Bison with 13 points.
"It was a grind-out game and both teams were well scouted and well prepared," Benton Central coach David Baxter said. "We felt like we let that one get away from us. We have to hit some shots when we need to."
Benton Central guards Rachel Tolen and Sienna Foster made Graves uncomfortable on offense. Tolen and Foster fronted Graves, kept their hands on her jersey and switched when she cut.
The freshman Graves looked out of sorts during large periods of the game for the first time in her varsity career.
"Defensively we did everything we could to give us an opportunity to win the game," Baxter said. "Unfortunately we just didn't hit the shots when we needed to."
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McCutcheon's scoring depth was the deciding factor again with Mullendore's scoring providing just enough of a boost to maintain her team's winning streak.
"The whole game we were playing slow so the coaches told me to bring the spark and energy up," Mullendore said. "So I went into the game just trying to bring some energy because obviously we want to win."
Greater Lafayette Area girls basketball scores from Jan. 4
McCutcheon 37, Benton 36
Central Catholic 49, Twin Lakes 40
Covington 45, Attica 40
Rensselaer Central 61, North White 20
Pioneer 52, Frontier 37
Seeger 55, Clinton Prairie 30
Tri-County 51, North Newton 32
Ethan Hanson started working for the Journal & Courier in West Lafayette, Indiana after four years at the Record Searchlight in Redding, CA. He previously freelanced with the Los Angeles Daily News for four years. Follow him on Twitter at @EthanAHanson and ethan_a_hanson on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: IHSAA girls basketball: McCutcheon beats Benton Central
