Payton Benge isn’t like everyone else. She prefers it that way.

Growing up as the youngest of three daughters as part of a family with basketball in its blood, it took years of prodding to get her to play. Both of her sisters wore No. 32 when they played for their dad at Plainfield. Payton wears No. 33, just to be different.

“Far and away,” her mom Jennifer Benge said, “(Payton) is the most stubborn out of the three of them.”

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That stubbornness has caused some growing pains, but it’s paying dividends now. Payton has found her own value in what she’s doing on the court, and seeing the results of her hard work means her confidence is at an all-time high. The Plainfield girls basketball team is reaping the rewards, having won its first regional title since 1998. The Quakers (18-7) play Lawrence Central in Saturday's first semistate semifinal at Southport.

While most of her peers have been playing basketball competitively since elementary school, Payton’s serious interest in the game is relatively new. An AAU coach tried to get her to play on his team when she was in third grade, but she resisted.

“At that grade in particular, it was tough to talk her into something she didn’t want to do,” said her dad, and longtime Plainfield coach, Curt Benge. “She’s not going to do something just because you tell her to.”

He tried the next year, and again she resisted. It wasn’t until seventh grade that she joined her first AAU team. While she had plenty of natural ability, she was playing with and against people who had been playing for years. She was behind the curve.

It was the beginning of a common theme — playing with something to prove.

“If anyone told her she couldn’t accomplish something, she’s going to do everything she can to prove her wrong,” her mom said. “She’s got the work ethic to get things done. She’s got that little bit of, ‘I’m going to show you.’”

She played in 18 games as a freshman, averaging 0.9 points during a season that was highly atypical due to COVID. As a sophomore, playing on a team with six seniors, she averaged 3.6 points per game.

At the end of her sophomore year, she knew she had to grow by leaps and bounds. The team was returning just two seniors in the fall, and neither one figured to play a key offensive role.

As stubborn as she is, she knew she wasn’t where she needed to be. She didn’t think she was ready for an increased role.

“Her dad was like, ‘No, you’re not,’” her mom said. “From there, she took that summer to develop, and never complained once.”

It wasn’t easy. It meant long hours in the gym. There were plenty of tears. But it paid off. She was the team’s leading scorer (15.9 ppg) and showed her younger teammates what success looks like. Berkeley Williams, a freshman last season, averaged 13.8 points per game. The Quakers won just eight games last season, but the foundation was set for a bright future.

Heading into this season as the team’s lone senior, Payton thought she could do what she did last year. It didn’t take long for her to realize another chapter of evolution had to take place.

“My junior year, I thought I knew everything,” Payton admits. “I got to my senior year and realized I still had a lot of work to do. The first game this summer, I thought I needed to do exactly what I did last year, not knowing everyone’s strengths yet. I realized that if I help my teammates, it’ll help me as well, and it’ll make them better in the process.”

Her scoring has taken a step back this season, but her team is better for it. Freshman Hannah Menser leads the team in scoring with 15.6 ppg. Williams averages 14.8, and Benge averages 12.7. The team’s cohesion and chemistry have more than made up for its youth.

Payton has grown up fast, both physically and mentally, and still has some growing to do. Her dad calls her a “late bloomer.” But she’s more even-keeled now than she was even a few years ago. Even though she still likes to get in the “last word,” she knows her dad’s feedback isn’t an attack. She knows when and how to speak up, and when to step away. She relishes her independence — “I’m so used to doing things on my own. My (class) hasn’t always been the closest,” she said — but is learning to go outside of herself to help the team. She knows when to go to her mom or sister and vent. And she knows when to pull a teammate aside, shoo her dad away and offer friendly insight.

Whenever it comes, whether in days or in weeks, there’s an acknowledgement from both Payton and Curt they’ll find joy in the next chapter. Payton admits there’s pressure that comes with playing for her dad, especially as the team’s lone senior. A lot of that comes from pressure she places on herself, and she’s learned to manage it.

“I just want to make him happy. I don’t wish for anything more than that," she said. "I have been doing that. Sometimes the pressure is a bit annoying, but it’s not too bad.”

There’s a similar pressure for Curt — the outside expectations that come with coaching your daughter, the perception of how he might treat her versus his other players, and trying to get the most out of all of them.

Next season will be the first time in the better part of a decade he won’t be coaching one of his daughters. And while he’ll miss it, he admits he’s looking forward to the different perspective it might bring.

“I’m glad I’ve had that opportunity,” he said, “but there’s a small part of me that’s looking forward to just being a coach again.”

While it took time to figure out how Curt and Payton could play to each other’s strengths and personalities, they’re both enjoying the journey that has seen them cut down nets on consecutive weekends. It’s not something they take for granted.

All the hours on the court, all the hours in the gym watching other games, all the hours in the car driving from one place to another, have led to a connection between father and daughter that is fueled by a love for basketball.

“I’ll miss the time I get to spend with him,” Payton said. “Basketball is our connection.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana girls basketball: Plainfield's Payton Benge finds role with dad