By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – The heat was on, because that’s what Devils do. Fire and brimstone pressure had burned Bedford North Lawrence’s lead to a crisp. The flames of Hades were almost unbearable, the torment was causing severe gnashing of teeth.
In the midst of all the distress, the kid with the angelic face and the killer jump shot, the kid who had already thrown water on Jeffersonville’s flames, was forgotten. Noah Godlevske, as defenders clawed on Colten Leach like dementors seeking his basketball soul, was alone near the basket. Like he had dropped from the heavens.
Paradise was a Godlevske goal-tended layup, with Leach finding that wide-open man, to douse Jeffersonville’s late and frantic comeback. Nirvana was a final defensive stop in the last 30 seconds. Bliss was a victory that shifted the hierarchy of the Hoosier Hills Conference.
With the Red Devils in full-inferno mode, scrambling to erase a one-point deficit, Godlevske’s breakaway bucket and two Colton Staggs free throws capped a clutch win. Only three Stars scored, but that was all the necessary production as the Stars conquered Jeffersonville 55-50 on Friday night.
Staggs scored 22 points and Godlevske added 21 as BNL (9-5 overall, 3-1 in the HHC) knocked the Devils off the top spot in the league standings. The Stars, who won for the fifth time in the last six games, posted a signature, statement victory that helped Jennings County take control of the conference race. There’s still a long way to go before that’s decided.
BNL almost got burned, because a nine-point lead with 1:59 left vanished faster than hot breath in cold air. Two bad possessions, two three-point plays, and that margin was a single point, and Leach was being chased by the hellhounds. Flash back to a year ago, when the Stars wasted a big lead at Jeffersonville and got sent home wailing when a last-second shot doomed them.
This time, experience was the difference. Cool under fire. Head up, handle the heat, make the play. When pressed, attack.
“We talked about going north-south,” BNL coach Jeff Hein said. “We wanted to go north-south with the basketball. Good things happen when you do that. When they extend, we attack. When they extended that defense, we wanted to make sure we attacked. Like it’s a football field, keep going for the end zone.”
Pass to Godlevske. Touchdown with 32 seconds remaining. After a wild Jeff shot and two Staggs free throws with 16.2, add the extra points. For BNL, nothing was sweeter. Books could be written about the history of this series, with all the triumph and heartbreak, and this one might only be a footnote among the great battles. But for these Stars, it ranks among the more memorable wins of the last four seasons.
“This is one of the top ones, no doubt,” Hein said. “It keeps us in the conference race, that’s the big thing. I’m proud of our kids. I know we only had three guys score, but we had great efforts defensively. Our defense was really good. Our defense got us over the hump, we got enough stops to win the game.”
Jeffersonville (8-7 overall, 4-1 in the league) is good now, could be great in days to come with an all-sophomore cast. How good will Tre Singleton (17 points and 8 boards) become over the next two years? Scary. But this loss was another lesson for the young Devils.
“Their experience, versus our inexperience, was the difference,” Jeffersonville coach Sherron Wilkerson said. “We didn’t get stops. Our pressure caused a little bit of problems, but they capitalized. The scouting report was to stop three players. We didn’t execute. We had a difficult time guarding the ball. Any time the defense breaks down, you have to help. That made it really tough for us.
“Every time they needed to make a big play, they made it. A rebound, a steal, a stop – they made the tough plays.”
Godlevske was one of the unstoppable trio. He launched five shots in the first half – made ‘em all – and had 14 points as BNL fought to a 28-23 lead. Jeff’s first surge, with Monnie McGee converting a layup and 3-pointer, with P.J. Douglas racing coast-to-coast with a rebound, gave the Devils their only brief lead at 35-32. Staggs answered with a bomb from a key and daring drive for a 3-point play as BNL ended the third up 40-38.
BNL’s best moments came midway through the fourth. Staggs cracked the defense for a layup, Godlevke stroked another corner trey (his fifth), Staggs worked free for a fake-and-fire bucket, and Leach blasted through the lane for a basket and 51-42 advantage at 1:59.
That set the stage for the second Jeff surge. Raijon Laird was left open for a layup. Bad shot, and Michael Cooper crashed to a 3-point play. Turnover, and McGee ripped another bomb. And now it’s 51-50 with 46 seconds left.
“It almost got away from us,” Staggs said. “But we got it done.”
Leach added 12 points. Staggs and Godlevske were brilliant in the backcourt, combining to hit 15 of 19 shots, including 7 of 9 from distance.
“Noah, the way he got going in the first half, was huge,” Hein said. “It opened some things up for our guys to go to the basket. He had the hot hand and we did a good job of feeding him.”
“Teamwork. We played good defense, and we scored,” said Staggs, who ranked the win among the top three in his four-year career. “Only three of us scored? No one else? I didn’t know that. They pressured us, left open the gaps. We found the open guy.“
“Trace (Rynders) and (Kaedyn) Bennett didn’t score a point, but they competed hard, did that they needed to do on the defensive end,” Hein said. “That’s the difference between seniors and sophomores. We were able to play with the lead, and as we’ve said before, we’re a lot better that way than playing from behind.”
In addition to Singleton, Cooper had 12 points while McGee and Douglas both had 8. Singleton, showing maturity beyond his years, was 6 of 9 from the floor and spent a lot of time directing traffic.
“He’s starting to become our leader,” Wilkerson said. “Some of the guys are a little hesitant. We trying to find a vocal leader, and he’s starting to take ownership.”
BNL will visit Terre Haute North on Saturday.
JEFFERSONVILLE RED DEVILS (50)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
0 Tre Singleton, f 3-4 6-9 2-2 8 0 17
12 P.J. Douglas, f 0-0 4-10 0-0 6 1 8
4 Raijon Laird, g 0-0 1-1 0-0 1 1 2
5 Michael Cooper, g 1-2 5-11 1-1 5 0 12
24 Shawn Boyd, g 0-1 0-4 0-0 0 4 0
1 Avery McDuffy 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 1 3
15 Conner Lyons 0-1 0-2 0-0 0 0 0
20 Monnie McGee 2-3 3-5 0-0 2 1 8
23 Travon Stevenson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 7-12 20-44 3-3 23 9 50
BEDFORD NL STARS (55)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
4 Kaedyn Bennett, f 0-2 0-3 0-0 2 3 0
2 Colten Leach, f 0-0 6-15 0-1 9 2 12
22 Colton Staggs, g 2-3 7-9 6-6 3 2 22
1 Trace Rynders, g 0-4 0-4 0-0 0 3 0
11 Noah Godlevske, g 5-6 8-10 0-0 3 0 21
14 Kole Bailey 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
34 Jett Jones 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 7-15 21-43 6-7 19 10 55
Jeffersonville 14 9 15 12 – 50
Bedford NL 18 10 12 15 – 55
Turnovers – Jeffersonville 11, BNL 9
Field goal percentage – Jeffersonville 20-44 (.455); BNL 21-43 (.488)
Free throw percentage – Jeffersonville 3-3 (1.000); BNL 6-7 (.857)
