By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – By unanimous voice vote, Bedford North Lawrence’s conclusion to the regular season earned a “U” rating. That stands for ugly, with no alibi. It could also be labeled NSFW (Not Safe For Watching), because everyone but the scorekeeper and timer got fouled.
The most important designation? W for win. Or V for victory. And on Senior Night, that’s all that mattered.
Locked in a rough-and-tumble, physical battle, when push came to shove (and there was a lot of that), the Stars won with the messy splashes of a painter’s broad brush rather than the stylistic strokes of an artist, although beauty was in the beholder’s eye. “Better than our prettiest loss,” BNL senior Kaedyn Bennett said, perfectly summarizing the 49-44 conquest of Jasper on Thursday night at BNL Fieldhouse.
Colton Staggs scored 13 points to lead the six-man senior contingent in the farewell, although hard-to-come-by offense was not the deciding factor. It was defense, as the Stars forced 18 turnovers, including several key steals by Colten Leach in the final minutes. It was toughness, because the Wildcats (12-10) demanded it.
After a sluggish start, whether it was the emotions of the moment or some other explanation, BNL never got in sync, managed only three field goals during the entire second half, yet survived, capping a remarkable surge to a 16-6 record.
“I didn’t think we played well,” BNL coach Jeff Hein said. “We turned it over a lot early, we struggled to rebound. But these kids just find a way, and they gritted their way through it. We’re just happy to get the win and move on.”
The six upperclassmen can thank their junior teammates, because normal starters Trace Rynders (12 points) and Noah Godlevske (11) came off the bench to combine for six treys – over half of BNL’s total number of baskets. BNL couldn’t crack Jasper’s defensive wall with its usual drive-and-dish success.
“This was the most physical team, by far, we’ve played,” Hein said. “They’re so big and strong, and that bothered us. It’s a different brand of basketball when you play in that neck of the woods.”
The Stars were equally obstinate. The Wildcats also managed only three field goals in the second half (both teams should burn the video, because offensive highlights were few), but the key was the turnovers. Three times in the final three minutes, Leach rotated into passing lanes for a deflection or interception. Jasper had five miscues in the fourth quarter.
“You just don’t come to Bedford and win with turnovers,” Jasper coach John Goebel said. “We don’t have anyone to blame but ourselves. A lot of them were untimely in the fourth quarter, but you have to give Bedford credit for that. They were awfully tough defensively.
“That’s a Jeff Hein team. He gets his kids to play tough. That’s a compliment to him.”
At first, Jasper was tougher. BNL’s first four possessions ended with turnovers, and the Wildcats plodded to a 9-1 lead before Godlevske swished a wing trey at 2:43. He added a second one from the corner, and Staggs buried two as BNL surged to a 15-11 lead. But those offensive sparks quickly died. Jasper closed the half with a 9-3 mini-run (with a 3-point play by Grant Young and a lane basket by Will Wallace) for a 25-23 advantage.
For a brief period, BNL went back in front, with a Leach steal off the full-court press setting up a Kole Bailey layup. But that would be BNL’s lone bucket of the third quarter. Finally, early in the fourth, the Stars created separation as Rynders splashed a long trey and Godlevske struck from the deep corner. That gave the Stars a 40-35 lead, and the rest of the damage over the last 3:43 was done at the foul line.
“Ugly,” Staggs said. “It was physical. It was an ugly game all-around.”
Some stats to prove his point: the teams combined for 42 fouls and 53 free-throw attempts. The Stars missed six free throws in the fourth quarter, got smacked 31-17 on the boards, and still celebrated.
Carter Mundy paced Jasper with 15 points. Here’s another wild stat. Of Jasper’s 10 losses, nine have been down to the wire. The 12 wins have all been by double digits. “It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever been around,” Goebel said.
BNL will now focus on the postseason. The Stars face a rematch with No.9 Jennings County in the opening game of the 4A sectional at Seymour on Tuesday.
JASPER WILDCATS (44)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
51 Will Wallace, f 0-0 1-4 2-5 10 4 4
55 Griffin Hile, f 0-0 0-1 3-4 3 4 3
15 Carter Mundy, g 3-7 4-13 4-6 4 1 15
21 Grant Young, g 0-1 2-4 3-3 0 5 7
25 Charlie Kabrick, g 1-2 2-3 0-0 2 5 5
35 Brayden Giesler 0-0 2-3 2-2 5 0 6
31 Andrew Noblitt 0-2 0-3 4-4 5 3 4
Totals 4-12 11-32 18-24 31 22 44
BEDFORD NL STARS (49)
3s FGs FTs F F Pts
4 Kaedyn Bennett, f 0-3 0-3 0-0 2 5 0
34 Jett Jones, f 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 4 0
22 Colton Staggs, g 2-3 2-6 7-9 2 2 13
2 Colten Leach, g 0-0 1-6 7-12 7 3 9
5 Houston Corbin, g 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
11 Noah Godlevske 3-7 4-9 0-0 2 3 11
1 Trace Rynders 3-5 3-6 3-6 1 2 12
14 Kole Bailey 0-0 1-1 2-2 0 1 4
31 Logan Miracle 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
3 Quincy Pickett 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 8-19 11-32 19-29 17 20 49
Jasper 11 14 6 13 – 44
Bedford NL 7 16 6 20 – 49
Turnovers – Jasper 18, BNL 9
Field goal percentage – Jasper 11-32 (.344); BNL 11-32 (.344)
Free throw percentage – Jasper 18-24 (.750); BNL 19-29 (.655)
