By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – New Albany will make the rugged journey to BNL Fieldhouse on Saturday with the added weight of a nine-game losing streak. That’s a difficult burden for any road trip, but especially tough when one of the state’s best teams is waiting at the end of the line.
Don’t expect sympathy from the No.5 Stars.
BNL will continue its quest for the Hoosier Hills Conference championship when it faces the Bulldogs (1-9 and playing their league opener). It’s a matinee show, and the Stars (1-0 in the HHC) are the main attraction. But BNL coach Jeff Allen won’t let the stars get in the eyes of his team.
“They’re in a tough stretch, their record isn’t very good, and you can throw all that out the window,” he said. “They always play us well. It’s a conference team, and they notoriously play us tough. We have to be prepared for that game.”
New Albany won its opener (60-18 over Evansville Bosse) before falling on hard times. The latest loss was a 50-37 setback to North Harrison on Thursday night. While the Bulldogs feature a young backcourt, they have a veteran up front in 6-0 senior center Journey Howard, New Albany’s leading scorer (15.2) and rebounder (8.6).
“They have athletes, they play pretty fast,” Allen said. “We have to play within ourselves and focus on what we do well. I think they’ll have a hard time stopping our offense, if we do the things we’re supposed to do. That’s a big part of it.
“Hopefully we can handle Howard. We’ll try to pressure them and make things difficult for them.”
BNL won last year’s clash 58-45. Karsyn Norman had 18 points while Chloe Spreen totaled 14 points and 7 boards. Maleea Roland hit seven treys and finished with 26 points for New Albany. The Stars have won seven straight in the series.
NEW ALBANY at BNL
When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Records: BNL 6-1 (1-0 in HHC), ranked No.5 in Class 4A (vs. Gibson Southern on Friday); New Albany 1-9 (0-0 in HHC)
Sagarin ratings: BNL 102.08; New Albany 55.78
Last meeting: Last year at New Albany, the Stars shook off the Bulldogs 58-45. Karsyn Norman had 18 points for BNL, Maleea Roland had 26 points (with 7 treys) for New Albany.
Previous game story: Cold hands, warm win
Game notes: BNL has won seven straight in the series. New Albany has scored less than 40 points six times this season.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F – Chloe Spreen 5-9 Jr.
F – Mallory Pride 5-8 Sr.
G – Madisyn Bailey 5-8 Jr.
G – Karsyn Norman 5-6 Sr.
G – Emma Brown 5-5 Sr.
New Albany Bulldogs
F – Cheyenne Parker 5-10 Sr.
C – Journey Howard 6-0 Sr.
G – Alaina Walker 5-8 Sr.
G – Maizy Smith 5-8 Fr.
G – Grace McBride 5-8 So.
