By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – When the postseason pairings were announced, when the draw was released for Class 4A Sectional 16 at Evansville Harrison and predictions started popping up on the Internet like dandelions in the yard, Evansville Central got overlooked. Other teams had a better record, other programs had a stronger tradition. The Bears got the dreaded “darkhorse” label.
What that means is they weren’t considered a serious contender. And boy, did that tick them off. Guess who’s riding the white stallion, bringing the spoils of victory back from the battle to show the world and bask in glory, now?
Playing the “no respect” card to perfection, Central won a championship. The Bears avenged a regular-season loss in the first round, repeated wins over the next two opponents, and cut down the nets, earning a berth in the regional at Bedford North Lawrence on Saturday night.
Central (15-11) will face No.7 BNL (23-3) in the one-game second stage of the state tournament. That winner will advance to the two-game semistate (along with regional winners from the first contest at BNL and the two games at Decatur Central) on Feb. 18. The IHSAA will announce the semistate pairings and sites on Sunday.
After starting the season 0-4, Central lurked in the shadows while the spotlight of attention glared on other teams. The Bears took that personally.
“They got tired of everyone talking about how not relevant we were when it came to the sectional,” Central coach Dave Alexander said. “They’ve been playing a little ticked off, and it’s been working for us. We’ll keep riding that as long as we can. We’re playing with a lot of confidence. Our girls are playing care free, playing with a chip on their shoulders this last month.“
So let’s focus the bright lights on the Bears. They are young, with three sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup. The record is misleading, because 6-0 freshman Madalynn Shirley missed the first four while recovering from a volleyball injury. She’s been the leading scorer (13.1, plus 7.7 boards) since her late arrival. They’ve won six of their last seven and ran the table against Castle, Evansville North and Jasper to win their first sectional title since 2017. Central has never won a regional.
“We’ll come in with the mindset that we weren’t supposed to win the sectional,” Alexander said.
“So why not take it another step.”
Central can continue to thrive in the underdog role, because there’s no question BNL is a huge favorite. The Stars have home-court advantage, the unparalleled tradition, the Div. I recruits on the roster, the experience of a veteran ballclub.
BNL has won a state-record 155 tournament games in its history, and that includes 13 regional titles. The big stage doesn’t faze the Stars.
“We always have high expectations,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “This is another box on the checklist we have. We want to get as far as we can in the tournament. The kids are all focused on this as the next goal, and how important it is to us and the program. We want to stay at a high level.”
BNL will feature junior scoring leader Chloe Spreen (18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds), Butler recruit Karsyn Norman (16.8 points, 4.4 assists) and senior forward Mallory Pride (10.6 points, 7.0 boards) in its assault. Not only have the stars excelled, but BNL has added quality depth with solid contributions from sophomore Tori Nikirk and freshman Trinidy Bailey in the postseason. In fact, BNL’s bench has combined to hit 8 of 13 shots and total 21 points in three games.
“Tori had an outstanding tournament, she played well in whatever spot we put her in,” Allen said. “She understands what we need at the varsity level. Defend, don’t turn the ball over, execute, make a shot if you’re open. You look back at the Hall of Fame, Trinidy played outstanding in that championship game, that was a big stage.
“All those kids, when I put them out there, they’ve done what I’ve asked. So I think we can go even deeper. It’s a good luxury to have, if there’s foul trouble or someone is struggling to make a shot. They’ve stepped up and performed.”
Shirley has taken pressure off the Central backcourt, which includes sophomore Delaney Steers (10.4) and junior Mackenzie White (9.4), a three-year starter.
“Shirley is a skilled freshman, she plays extremely hard,” Allen said, comparing her to Silver Creek contemporary Brooklyn Renn. “With us not having a true post player, anybody like that is a concern to us. We’ll try to make it difficult for them to get her the basketball, give all the help we can.”
“What Maddy brought was a post presence who could score,” said Alexander, whose club averaged only 30.5 points until Shirley made her debut. “It made life easier for the rest of them. Somebody to relieve that pressure made a difference. Things drastically changed when she came back.“
Can Central slow down the Stars, one of the state leaders in scoring (62.7)? Can the Bears handle the defensive blitz they’re about to face? BNL forces 19.8 turnovers per game.
“It’s their pressure,” Alexander said. “The other thing that makes them so good is they can spread you out and drive, they can all shoot. So it becomes a matchup nightmare. It’s finding what we can stop, and executing on the defensive end.
“There is something to lose, because the season would be over. But if anyone would say we’re a favorite, on paper they would be wrong. Bedford is a top-five team in the state, they have two of the best guards in the state. On paper, they’re a heavy, heavy favorite. But if they beat us, they beat us. We know we’ll have our hands full.”
BNL has won 9 straight since the double-overtime loss to Noblesville in the Hall of Fame Classic final. The Stars blasted through Jennings County, Jeffersonville and Silver Creek to win the sectional.
“We will focus on us,” Allen said. “We felt like we played at a really high level in the sectional championship game, we’ll try to maintain that level and keep it there.”
In the first game on Saturday, No.9 Center Grove (21-4) will meet defending regional champion Franklin (18-5) in the Regional 7 matchup at 4 p.m.
CLASS 4A REGIONAL 8
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL at BNL
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Records: Evansville Central 15-11; BNL 23-3, ranked No.7
Sagarin ratings: Evansville Central 75.22; BNL 102.34
Last meeting: BNL prevailed 60-50 at Central during the 2016-17 season. Jorie Allen had 18 points and Alllen Fugate added 17 for the Stars. Errin Hodges had 20 points for the Bears.
Game notes: Central has never won a regional title. BNL has won 13 regionals, the last in 2020. Central won the only postseason meeting in the series, prevailing 47-43 in the regional semifinal at Columbus North in 2016.
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.
Evansville Central Bears
F – Mackenzie White 5-9 Jr.
C – Madalynn Shirley 6-0 Fr.
G – Delaney Steers 5-8 So.
G – Mya Skelton 5-6 So.
G – Avery Kelley 5-4 So.
CLASS 4A REGIONAL 7
CENTER GROVE vs. FRANKLIN
When: Saturday, 4 p.m. at BNL
Records: Center Grove 21-4, ranked No.9; Franklin 18-5
Sagarin ratings: Center Grove 94.26; Franklin 92.25
Last meeting: On Nov. 29 at Franklin, the Grizzly Cubs posted a 38-34 win. Kyndell Jochim had 11 points for Franklin, while Audrey Annee and Aubrie Booker had 9 points each for Center Grove.
Game notes: Center Grove has won four regional titles, the last in 2007. Franklin, last year’s 4A state runner-up, is the two-time defending regional champion. Center Grove is riding a 17-game winning streak since the loss at Franklin.
Starting lineups
Center Grove Trojans
F – Audrey Annee 5-9 Jr.
F – Rachel Wirts 6-3 Jr.
G – Aubrie Booker 5-8 Jr.
G – Ella Hobson 5-6 Sr.
G – Savanna Bischoff 5-9 Sr.
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
F – Kyndell Jochim 5-11 Sr.
F – Scarlett Kimbrell 5-11 Jr.
G – Erica Buening 5-9 Jr.
G – Brooklyn York 5-9 Jr.
G – Lauren Klem 5-2 Jr.
