On Dec. 5, the Bloomington South girls basketball team traveled to Martinsville High School to take on the Artesians in a non-conference matchup. With around five minutes left in the 4th quarter, junior starter Molli Lucas crumbled to the ground after a shot attempt. The injury was later revealed as an ACL/MCL tear.

Though the Panthers won the game, they left Martinsville without a key piece of their team.

Tonight, the Panthers (5-3) take on the Center Grove Trojans (9-1) at home with varsity tipping off at 7:30 p.m. Entering the lineup in Lucas’ starting position will be sophomore shooting guard Daniella Grimes. Head coach Larry Winters explained that he will be rotating multiple players throughout the game to fill the position vacated by Lucas.

When asked about Lucas’ biggest attribute, Winters noted her physical strength.

“She’s a player that is as strong as any player [the team will] face, and so she’s able to play a lot of different positions even though she’s undersized.”

With such a devastating and complicated injury, Lucas will be out for the remainder of the season, leaving a need for players to step up and be physical during her absence.

Additionally, Winters shared insight into how he’s seen the team come together to encourage Lucas.

“It’s a very close group and they all understand that nothing is promised. They have to go out and play with the same vigor that they always do. Injuries happen in sports, and I think they all have been around enough to know that [getting injured] is always a possibility.”