By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – As Old Man Winter prepares his unleash his first blast, forcing everyone to brace for the worst and adjust, Bedford North Lawrence is bracing for a double-barrel shock wave of high-level competition.
The Stars will welcome Noblesville and Lake Central for the adjusted Pete Pritchett Limestone Classic. With the first winter storm predicted to crash on Thursday night, the schedule for the three games has been altered to allow everyone to return home before the anticipated snow and bitter cold arrives.
The No.4 Stars (12-1) will now collide with No.8 Noblesville (9-3) on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30. The Millers will meet No.7 Lake Central (8-1) in the second game of the Classic on Thursday at 10 a.m. BNL will battle Lake Central in the closing game on Thursday at 1 p.m.
This event (pared down from its original four-team format) features some of the best teams in the state, and it’s worthy having the name of BNL’s godfather of the program on the masthead. Pritchett, a Hall of Famer, won the first two state championships (1983, 1991) in program history, setting a standard for all subsequent teams.
“I’ve tried to carry on the tradition that started with his coaching and that generation of players, of doing things the right way,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “Both on and off the floor, it creates a winning environment. Not only good basketball players, but good kids. That’s one of the big reasons we’ve had success at Bedford North Lawrence. It all started with him.”
So this event starts a little earlier than anticipated with a marquee matchup for the matinee. Noblesville is the defending Class 4A state champion. Even with graduation and a major transfer loss, the Millers present a monumental challenge.
Noblesville was supposed to have Ashlynn Shade, the overwhelming Miss Basketball favorite and a Connecticut recruit, as its centerpiece to defend the crown. Just prior to the season, she abruptly departed to attend La Lumiere prep school. The Millers still have major talent. Their only losses (South Bend Washington, Hamilton Southeastern and Fishers) have come against teams ranked in the Top 10.
“Our strengths are having numerous kids who can score, relentlessness on defense and mental toughness,” Noblesville coach Donna Buckley said. “We have had injuries, illness and a transfer, but we still have kids who believe in what we do. They love to compete and are willing to whatever it takes to win. We have found ways to do what we have done in the past by plugging in new kids who have the same passion for winning.”
The new leaders include 5-10 sophomore Meredith Tippner (16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds), junior guard Reagan Wilson (13.0 points, 3.2 assists) and power forward Dani Mendez (8.2 pts., 5.5 boards). Junior guard Ava Shoemaker (10.0 pts) is questionable after missing four games with an injury, but that’s still enough firepower to threaten BNL.
“They’re solid at every position,” Allen said. “Mendez is a tough matchup for us. All their kids are very athletic and skilled. We’ll have our work cut out for us.
“They have very talented players. When you put them in a position where they’ll get more shots, put in more opportunities to lead and score, you see those kids rise to the top, because they’re quality basketball players. By tournament time, they’ll be seasoned and be really strong.”
Of course, Noblesville must contend with BNL’s double-barrel All-Stars in senior Karsyn Norman (16.7 points, 4.7 assists) and junior Chloe Spreen (21.4 points,. 5.5 boards). The supporting cast has been outstanding, proven by the fact the Stars had all five starters in double figures during the last win at Evansville Mater Dei.
“BNL will be well coached, talented and a huge challenge for us,” Buckley said. “Playing at BNL is a great opportunity, and we are excited for it. We will need to play well on offense and defense to have a chance at winning.”
BNL won last year’s clash in the Pritchett tournament final. Spreen scored 28 points, Norman added 17, and Mallory Pride grabbed 11 rebounds as the Stars posted an impressive 59-40 victory. Tippner and Kaitlyn Shoemaker had 11 points each for Noblesville, while Shade was limited to 9 points.
BNL vs. Lake Central: On Thursday, the Stars will get their first look at Lake Central.
The Indians, making the long journey from the northwest corner of the state, will feature junior Riley Milausnic (13.7 points) and 5-10 junior Aniyah Bishop (10.9, 7.4 boards). Lake Central’s lone loss was a 51-35 setback to No.1 South Bend Washington.
“They’re very similar to us,” Allen said. “They’re athletic, perimeter oriented. They do a lot of ball pressure and pressing. They’re very aggressive. So that will test us right away, taking care of the basketball. We’ve done a good job of that all year long. They have some scorers who are really skilled.”
The question for the Stars is how they’ll handle a true test. In their 13 games thus far, they’ve finished with a running clock nine times. They’re fifth in the state in scoring (65.5) and sixth in winning margin (31.5). These next two games won’t be that easy.
“That’s always something you like to see as a coach, be in those crunch-time situations where you have to execute and do things right,” Allen said. “I’ve got a veteran bunch that has been in those situations before. I would like to see that to see us grow as a team. Do I hope it’s a close game? Probably not, really. But I would welcome that to see us have to execute against a high-quality team.”
PETE PRITCHETT LIMESTONE CLASSIC
LAKE CENTRAL at BNL
When: Thursday, 1 p.m.
Records: Lake Central 8-1, ranked No.7 in Class 4A; BNL 12-1, ranked No.4 in Class 4A
Sagarin ratings: Lake Central 94.03; BNL 104.86
Last meeting: This is the first meeting between the teams.
Game notes: Lake Central will face Noblesville in the first game of the day at 10 a.m.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F – Chloe Spreen 5-9 Sr.
F – Mallory Pride 5-8 Sr.
G – Madisyn Bailey 5-8 Jr.
G – Karsyn Norman 5-6 Sr.
G – Emma Brown 5-5 Sr.
Lake Central Indians
F – Aniyah Bishop 5-10 Jr.
F – Ayla Krygier 5-11 So.
G – Riley Milausnic 5-6 Jr.
G – Vanessa Wimberley 5-2 So.
G – Nadia Clayton 5-7 Jr.
NOBLESVILLE at BNL
When: Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.
Records: Noblesville 9-3, ranked No.8 in Class 4A; BNL 12-1, ranked No.4 in Class 4A
Sagarin ratings: Noblesville 98.60; BNL 104.86
Last meeting: Last year at BNL, the Stars smacked the Millers 59-40. Chloe Spreen had 28 points and Karsyn Norman added 17 for BNL. Kaitlyn Shoemaker and Meredith Tippner had 11 each for Noblesville.
Previous game story: Stars throw the shade
Game notes: Noblesville is the defending Class 4A state champion. Noblesville’s three losses have come against teams ranked in the top 10 in Class 4A.
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.
Noblesville Millers
F – Meredith Tippner 5-10 Sr.
F – Dani Mendez 5-11 Sr.
G – Reagan Wilson 5-8 Jr.
G – Kaitlyn Shoemaker 5-5 Sr.
G – Brooklyn Ely 5-5 Sr.
