By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
INDIANAPOLIS – It starts with a dream.
Emma Brown was the first to realize it, arms raised in triumph, skipping toward midcourt, leaping higher with each step.
Add faith and it becomes a belief. Add action, and it becomes a part of life.
Chloe Spreen had the ball in her hands for the final seconds, only fitting after her championship performance. She got to midcourt and flung that ball toward the ceiling of Southport Fieldhouse. There’s no evidence, outside of gravity, that it ever descended as Spreen screamed with joy and rushed for a great group hug.
Add perseverance, and it becomes a goal in sight. Add patience and time, and it ends with a dream come true. – Doe Zantamata
Karsyn Norman and Mallory Pride, the best of friends, locked in a frozen-in-time embrace at midcourt. Tears flowing down her face, all Norman could think about, all she could say, was “it was a dream come true.”
Emotions exploded. Bedford North Lawrence, nine years after its last trip to the state championship, released all that pent-up energy as the Stars won the Class 4A semistate title on Saturday night. BNL coach Jeff Allen, an assistant during the last run and now the man in charge, wondered aloud if he would ever get back. The bear hugs he received, and the tears that welled up on that military-style face, betrayed his feelings as well.
What a night. After two tough semistate wins over worthy opponents, emotionally spent and physically exhausted, BNL celebrated in style. The boisterous student section rushed the court, those nets were cut down. Hours later, the traditional dance in the moonlight on the town square, and a fireworks display to greet the team bus as it neared the campus and its return destination.
BNL won its seventh semistate, stopping Center Grove and Lawrence North during a frenzied doubleheader that demanded supreme focus and toughness to survive. Now the Stars (26-3) will meet Fishers (26-2) in the climactic final at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. BNL will chase its fifth state crown. What a dream.
“Last game, I said it means everything,” Pride said. “But this is like above and beyond. It’s crazy. I’m speechless, I have no words. Here we are, it was all worth it.“
On the outside, the Stars appeared immune to the pressure, to the expectations of a rabid fan base, to the paralyzing grip of wanting something so badly. On the inside, that was false. Norman admitted to a pregame panic attack. Allen had to release nervous and excess passion by turning to the students in the end zone and demanding more noise – if that was possible. He’s quite the imposing cheerleader. Yet he had to keep his kids – don’t forget, these are still teen-agers – cool and collected. Not easy, with so much at stake.
“I was freaking out. It’s a big stage,” Norman said.
“We were all nervous,” Brown said. “We took naps (between games), and the first thing three of them said when we woke up was ‘I’m going to throw up.’ We were so nervous, so much excitement.”
The coolest kid? That was Spreen. What a day she had. She scored 20 points in the 50-43 semifinal win against Center Grove, her stat line included 9 of 10 at the line (8 straight in the fourth quarter) and 13 points in the second half. Ditto during the 47-40 conquest of Lawrence North in the final, with her box score reading 26 points (9 of 11 at the line) and 19 of BNL’s 26 second-half points.
“I’m so proud of Chloe,” Norman said. “She did a lot. She just had all the right matchups, and she just took it to them.”
“It was tough,” Allen said. “We had a tough day. But all year long, my kids have responded. I thought we were really gritty and tough.”
Lawrence North didn’t go quietly. After BNL rumbled to a 12-point lead, the Wildcats clawed back, battling with a single possession in the fourth quarter. First-year coach Stephen Thomas, quite animated in the sideline, could sense some slippage, implored his team to apply pressure. The Stars dug deeper into their experience reserves, got a big rebound from Pride off a missed free throw for a Spreen layup and calmed a lot of nerves. Spreen made two more at the line, and BNL didn’t surrender any points during the final 150 seconds. Which seemed a lot longer.
“It was very nerve racking,” Pride said. “It was back and forth, two even teams. It was a hard game. We all had rough jobs. We pulled it through.”
Finally, the final buzzer. Pandemonium. Soft tears of sheer joy, hard hugs that almost squeezed the life out, smiles for the team picture and countless photos in the celebration bedlam on the court. The only glitch was the trophy got dropped on the hardwood – no damage, no blame. Now the Stars will compete for the biggest trophy in the sport.
“As soon as that buzzer went off, all I could think, it was a dream come true,” Norman said. “I really want to win, but just getting there is crazy.”
“I’m so grateful,” Brown said. “I couldn’t imagine it going any other way.”
BNL will face Fishers in the 4A final on Feb. 25 at 8:15 p.m. The countdown has already started. The Stars have won four state titles (1983, 1991, 2013, 2014). One more would sure be nice.
“One more,” Allen said. “I’m excited, thrilled to be able to go back with this group.”
