By Justin Sokeland
(BEDFORD) – The hardscrabble ground, crying for rain and relief, was unforgiving as Bedford North Lawrence played its final regular-season match.
Otis Park flashed its bitter side, reminding the surging Stars of golf’s fickleness as BNL carded wins over Brownstown and Springs Valley on Thursday afternoon.
Coming off a season-best score while winning the Hoosier Hills Conference title on Monday, BNL’s final prep round for the IHSAA sectional was a rude reminder of how quickly the game can bite back. The Stars won with a pedestrian score of 182, followed by the Braves (207) and Blackhawks (208) on the front nine.
No birdies. No excitement, no motivation, reflected in the higher scores. BNL coach Aaron Sanders was not too concerned. The postseason starts on Saturday, and the Stars will be defending their sectional championship.
“This didn’t mean a whole lot,” Sanders said. “It was like a practice round for us. Nobody is panicking. I’m confident we’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
Olivia Sanders paced the Stars with a 42 while Ashley Chase carved out a 43. Addyson Bailey (48) and Samantha Biel (49) capped the scoring.
Valley’s Keisha Bennett was the medalist with a 4-over 41, while Ashlynn Fox fired a 46 for Brownstown.
BNL will host the six-team sectional, with action on the first and 10th tees starting at 8 a.m. The top three teams, plus the top three individuals who are not members of qualifying teams, will advance to the regional at Country Oaks on Sept. 28.
BNL 182, Brownstown 207, Springs Valley 208
BNL – Olivia Sanders 42, Addyson Bailey 48, Ashley Chase 43, Kennedy Blair 53, Samantha Biel 49, Nora Howat 51, Daphney Sproles 54
Brownstown – Ashlynn Fox 46, Payton Ault 54, Lexie Satterthwaite 55, Hannah Hackman 59, Ashley Shrier 52, Olivia Hackman 58
Springs Valley – Keisha Bennett 41, Kyla Tarr 52, Kelly Sammons 57, Macy Hall 59, Kyleigh Marshall 58
