By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
JEFFERSONVILLE – The sound of a buzz saw, its sharp teeth ripping through wood at high velocity, is unmistakable. It’s the noise of destruction, of cutting-edge precision in the hands of a skilled carpenter, of power and speed while grinding a path.
That was No.3 Bedford North Lawrence, slashing through Floyd Central on its way to another sectional final. The Stars were razors, honed to a dangerous edge, pointed and deadly while roaring to the championship game of Sectional 15 with a sensational performance in Monday night’s delayed semifinal.
After a three-day wait, BNL was worth it, tearing to a overwhelming 61-16 triumph while advancing to meet Jennings County in the finale on Tuesday. Chloe Spreen led a balanced offensive attack with 16 points as the Stars (22-2) extended their amazing streak to 32 straight sectional wins and will now chase their 11th consecutive title.
The Highlanders, riding momentum of quality performances heading into the postseason, deserve some sympathy for what happened to them. They were like the unsuspecting bystander at the scene of an accident. They never saw what ran them over.
That was a runaway train. BNL rumbled away with an 18-0 run, blasted to a 30-point lead in the second quarter, triggered the running clock with the first point of the second half. BNL at its best, and Floyd at its surprising worst, was a bad combination.
“We had played really well the last month of the season, and tonight was just a buzz saw,” FC coach Randy Gianfagna said. “It was just ugly. They played like a 10-time sectional champion. They were in us everywhere, and we looked a little shell shocked, to be honest.”
The runaway started quickly, with Spreen scoring twice in the lane, with Madisyn Bailey swishing a 3-pointer, with Carlee Kern burying a trey in transition, with Spreen splashing a bomb (and celebrating with a quiet hand clap) for a 24-3 advantage in only 10 minutes. Floyd went 10:44 between its first and second basket, and the Stars just kept coming with Hadley Teague’s corner bomb, Karsyn Norman’s baseline drive, another Kern wing jumper and a Norman floater from 12 feet.
By the time the dust settled from the explosion, BNL’s lead was 38-6. Norman’s 3-point play made it 43-9 at the half. And the Stars scored the first 7 points of the third quarter, just to be sure the corpse of the opponent was completely dead.
“I was kidding the girls earlier, would you please do what I say and start well?” BNL coach Jeff Allen said, and his club went a little overkill during that getaway. “They looked focused. I really liked our effiort, our focus. We never really relaxed, and that’s what you’re looking for as a coach. The kids continued to execute no matter the game situation.”
The numbers correlate with the blowout. Norman, showing little effect from the sprained ankle during last week’s opener against Jeffersonville, had 14 points. Bailey totaled 12, and Kern didn’t miss a shot while finishing with 11. The Stars hit 8 treys, had only 8 turnovers, and dominated every phase.
“It was fun,” Kern said. “It’s getting down to the wire. So we need to start playing really well. We did that tonight. We were running pretty good.”
On the flip side, the Highlanders (9-14) were reduced to saw dust. They hit only 5 of 40 shots, committed 21 turnovers. Floyd hadn’t played since Jan. 27, waiting out the bye and the postponements of the semifinal. “But those are all excuses,” Gianfagna said. “We looked like we hadn’t played in a while. It was our worst performance in a long time.”
BNL’s win was a statement. When the Stars click, when shots fall and the defensive intensity is full throttle, they can cut through anybody.
“We were moving to the ball,” Allen said. “That’s what we have to have. We have to have multiple people coming to intercept the ball and be in the right spot. The kids did a great job of that.
“The girls felt we haven’t played that well lately. We’ve had spurts, but we haven’t played a complete game. For the most part, they did a good job of that.”
BNL will now face the Panthers (17-6) in the final. The Stars already own a 50-34 road win over Jennings on Nov. 30.
“We know it will be a battle,” Allen said.
Jennings County 46, Seymour 26 – The Panthers took control with a 14-0 run in the third quarter, breaking away from a 22-21 slugfest to reach the final for the fourth straight year.
“We were able to create tempo,” JC coach Kristi Sigler said of the second-half breakout. “In the first half it looked like we hadn’t played in a long time (since Jan. 27). We kind of expected that. But we responded.”
Juliann Woodard paced Jennings with 11 points. She had only four shots in the first half as the Owls worked to a 17-17 deadlock. She was a force in the second half. Megan Vogel and Alivia Elmore had 8 points each for Jennings, but Woodard was the key.
“She has to have touches,” Sigler said. “She has to have touches where she can score.”
Brooke Trinkle had 7 points for Seymour (11-11).
BEDFORD NL STARS (61)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
2 Chloe Spreen, f 1-3 6-12 3-4 6 2 16
24 Carlee Kern, f 3-3 3-3 2-2 7 1 11
22 Mallory Pride, f 0-1 1-9 0-0 6 2 2
32 Madisyn Bailey, g 2-6 4-10 2-4 4 0 12
21 Karsyn Norman, g 1-4 5-11 3-3 2 2 14
31 Ella Turner 0-0 1-2 1-2 4 1 3
50 Emma Crane 0-0 0-0 0-0 4 3 0
23 Hadley Teague 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 0 3
44 Bella Jackson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
3 Katie Baumgart 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
11 Tori Nikirk 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 8-18 21-48 11-15 35 11 61
FLOYD CENTRAL HIGHLANDERS (16)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
34 Nora Gibson, f 0-2 0-8 0-1 7 3 0
51 Callie Celichowski, c 0-0 1-4 2-5 5 0 4
11 Keegan Kaiser, g 1-5 2-11 1-4 1 1 6
15 Kendall Brown, g 1-2 1-5 0-2 0 0 3
12 Samara Miller, g 1-3 1-3 0-0 1 2 3
33 Megan Czarnecki 0-0 0-2 0-0 3 0 0
21 Madison Hamelman 0-0 0-2 0-0 1 0 0
5 MaKenzie Stiles 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
44 Natalya Gaines 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
4 Ava Hausz 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
30 Peyton Kochert 0-3 0-3 0-0 0 0 0
50 Carly Fonda 0-1 0-1 0-0 2 0 0
Totals 3-16 5-40 3-12 25 8 16
Bedford NL 18 25 13 5 – 61
Floyd Central 3 6 3 4 – 16
Turnovers – BNL 8, Floyd Central 21
Field goal percentage – BNL 21-48 (.438); Floyd Central 5-40 (.125)
Free throw percentage – BNL 11-15 (.733); Floyd Central 3-12 (.250)
JENNINGS COUNTY 46, SEYMOUR 26
Jennings County (17-6) – Lily Ernstes 7, Alivia Elmore 8, Kali Thompson 7, Alexis Carson 2, Juliann Woodard 11, Megan Vogel 8, Madelyn McIntosh 3
Seymour (11-11) – Grace Schrader 2, Greer Henry 6, Brooke Trinkle 7, Kendall Sterling 4, Journee Brown 4, Kendrick Sterling 3
