By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Nothing repairs the cracked human psyche like the super glue of victory. Winning mends the most fragile, strengthens the most hardened. Bedford North Lawrence, a little vulnerable with melancholy, started putting the splintered pieces of its aura back together the only way it knows how.
Venting its frustration on the next available target, the Stars clobbered Floyd Central on Saturday night. They won’t be wearing that No.2 ranking when the new poll is released, but they looked the part once again with a dominating performance and a 62-28 triumph.
Chloe Spreen recorded a tough double-double, Karsyn Norman splashed first-half jump shots, and all was right with the BNL world once again. Spreen had 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, Norman added 17 points, and the Stars (17-2) crushed Floyd on the boards while finishing their Hoosier Hills Conference run with a 5-1 record. Now they will wait to see if Jennings County can stop Columbus East and force a split of the league title.
In the four days since the shattering loss to East, BNL went through all the expected emotions: bitter disappointment, deadening depression, lack of energy. Day by day, the Stars recovered. Perhaps the Highlanders (6-11, 1-4) would have been better off to catch BNL coming off a win and looking ahead. They got BNL’s fierce death stare, and the Stars showed no hangover from the defeat.
Rather than dwell on the past, BNL coach Jeff Allen focused on the future. The Stars needed to restore momentum for the postseason ahead, and this powerful effort was a perfect step in that direction.
“We’ve got games left, so let’s enjoy the moment,” Allen said. “We’ve had a lot of success, so let’s enjoy that. We put pressure on ourselves because we lost a game against a good opponent. But let’s play every game like it’s our last. I thought they had fun out there. I was happy with our intensity and how we played.”
Floyd had brief moments of competitive equality, starting 6-2. But then BNL erupted with a trey from Madisyn Bailey, with three bombs by Norman for a 21-10 advantage. BNL went on an 11-0 run in the second quarter, with Spreen popping two wing 3-pointers and Carlee Kern finishing a fast break with a layup and 36-15 command.
The Stars opened the second half with layups by Kern and Norman to go up 30, and they triggered the running clock (and it’s been a while since BNL could do that against its brutal schedule) with the 35-point margin on two Kern free throws with 6:41 left.
“We shared the basketball, we took good shots,” Allen said. “Just stay with what we do and play hard, and we got rolling. Our defensive energy was good, our press was good, we rebounded well. So I’m really happy with how they bounced back.
“That’s what happens when shots go in. That was something we needed to see, especially for our main scorers. It’s like ‘Hey, we’re pretty good.’ They need to feel that way about themselves again.”
Mallory Pride totaled 9 points and Bailey finished with 8 (plus 9 rebounds). Spreen had the first double-double of her career as BNL crashed the glass for a 40-19 edge. Add in Floyd’s 20 turnovers, and that’s why the margin got out of control.
“It’s getting the monkey off our back and playing well,” Kern said. “It was a step getting closer to the postseason. It was tough to lose, but I felt like it went away like it never happened. It’s the same way every game. Everyone is going to give us their best.“
Keegan Kaiser paced the Highlanders with 13 points. Floyd was also 0 fo 12 from distance.
“It was a good win against a conference opponent, and we at least have a chance if East slips up at Jennings (on Thursday),” Allen said. “ So I’m glad we took care of business.”
BNL will now enjoy a quiet week before hosting Jasper on Jan. 22.
FLOYD CENTRAL HIGHLANDERS (28)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
34 Nora Gibson, f 0-2 1-6 0-0 4 4 2
51 Callie Celichowski, c 0-0 0-3 1-2 5 0 1
11 Keegan Kaiser, g 0-1 5-9 3-4 1 1 13
15 Kendall Brown, g 0-2 3-5 0-0 1 1 6
12 Samara Miller, g 0-3 2-6 0-0 0 2 4
44 Natalya Gaines 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 2 0
21 Maddy Hamelman 0-1 0-2 0-0 3 3 0
30 Peyton Kochert 0-1 0-1 0-0 2 0 0
4 Ava Hausz 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
50 Carly Fonda 0-0 0-0 2-2 0 0 2
Totals 0-12 11-13 6-8 19 13 28
BEDFORD NL STARS (62)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
2 Chloe Spreen, f 2-6 6-17 4-6 13 0 18
24 Carlee Kern, f 0-1 2-4 2-4 5 0 6
22 Mallory Pride, f 0-0 3-8 3-4 2 0 9
32 Madisyn Bailey, g 2-3 3-5 0-0 9 0 8
21 Karsyn Norman, g 3-9 6-14 2-2 3 2 17
31 Ella Turner 0-1 1-4 0-0 3 2 2
23 Hadley Teague 0-3 0-3 0-0 1 0 0
50 Emma Crane 0-0 0-1 2-2 2 2 2
44 Bella Jackson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
3 Katie Baumgart 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
11 Tori Nikirk 0-0 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 7-21 21-57 13-18 40 6 62
Floyd Central 10 7 7 4 – 28
Bedford NL 21 21 13 7 – 62
Turnovers – Floyd Central 20, BNL 9
Field goal percentage – FC 11-33 (.333); BNL 21-57 (.368)
Free throw percentage – FC 6-8 (.750); BNL 13-18 (.722)
