By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
INDIANAPOLIS – Pride goeth before a fall. It also goes before redemption and motivation, when the weight of a state rests on the shoulders. All-Star games are just for fun? Not this one. With Indiana on the jersey, and history standing on the scales, the Hoosiers understood their mission.
And they came through, digging deep to cash in some sweat equity and passion points while salvaging a series split with Kentucky.
Only 24 hours after a first-game loss and a late-night bus ride back from the depths of dejection, Indiana bounced back to win the rematch, with Miss Basketball showing why she earned the honor, with a shortened roster forcing starters to play extended minutes during a tight 71-67 triumph on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Laila Hull, the North Carolina recruit who wore the No.1 jersey with distinction, scored 22 points and converted the final two buckets when the Hoosiers needed them most. Bedford North Lawrence’s Karsyn Norman, the last point guard on the roster after injuries and a graduation ceremony took out other options, had 12 points and 5 assists, and McKenna Layden added 10 points for Indiana, which pushed its series advantage to 53-41 while recording the sixth straight spilt in the historic rivalry.
After absorbing a tough 10-point loss (which Norman indicated felt like 30) in Owensboro the previous night, the Hoosiers flipped the script with a fast start and clutch finish. Trailing 65-64 in the final two minutes, Hull came through with a go-ahead 3-point play and a second go-back-in-front basket, and Ashlynn Brooke made two clinching free throws with 3.8 seconds left after Indiana came up with the most crucial defensive stop of the twin battles.
“We got it done,” said Norman, who took home a state championship trophy during her last visit to this arena, so she might want Butler to consider moving home games across the city. Although Hinkle Fieldhouse, now her new home, is certainly cool. “We were exhausted, but nobody wanted to lose.”
The final two minutes encased the time frame of fate. Hull blasted through traffic for a 3-point play and a 67-65 lead with 1:32 left, although Kentucky came back with JaKayla Thompson’s corner jumper for a deadlock. Two possessions later, after an Indiana miss and Kentucky miscue, Hull went to work again with a tough drive and basket with 10.7 seconds remaining.
Kentucky’s last chance for the road win was thwarted. The out-of-bounds set was drawn up for a 3-pointer or a return pass to Haven Ford. But Norman didn’t allow the Kentucky Miss Basketball to get the ball back, and Whitney Lind’s midrange jumper was off. The ball was swatted out, and one official pointed Kentucky’s direction before another overruled and gave Indiana the crucial possession. Brooke made the put-away free throws to seal it.
“I know Coach (Kristi) Ulrich trusted me with the ball in my hands,” Hull said. “I did what I knew I could do. I made sure their trust was in the right hands.”
Hull was tremendous, adding 14 rebounds to her point total. She also had a major hand in Kentucky’s shooting woes. The previous night, Indiana couldn’t throw one in the Ohio River from the bank, this time Kentucky was plagued by misses (20 of 74) and a little overwhelmed by the surroundings.
“We came up a little short,” Kentucky coach Pete Fraley said. “We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we would have liked, but that’s the way it goes. There’s a different heartbeat here (compared to the comfortable coziness of Owensboro’s Sportscenter). I knew they would come with a little passion.”
That difference in venue and vibe was evident early as Indiana rushed to a 10-2 lead, while Kentucky failed to convert a basket for the first 6 1/2 minutes. Despite that tepid start, Kentucky surged in front early in the second quarter, but Asia Donald came off the Indiana bench with huge spark, bulling to a 3-point play and going coast-to-coast with a rebound. Norman swished a long trey and Indiana owned a 29-22 lead.
After Indiana got to intermission with a 32-30 edge, the second half was a give-and-take of surges and responses. Norman slashed to a 3-point play for a 41-36 advantage, and a Layden rebound gave Indiana its biggest lead of the second half at 45-38. Each time the Hoosiers created space, Kentucky created turnovers (Indiana was guilty of a ghastly number – 29 – which could have spelled doom). The Bluegrass pulled even at 50-50 to start the fourth, then Saige Stahl converted a rebound, Norman floated through the lane for a jumper, and Layden dropped two free throws for a 58-51 margin with 7:38 left.
Kentucky came back again, with Ford picking off a backcourt inbound pass for a steal and 3-point play which gave her team the 65-64 lead with 2:17 left. Then Hull came to the rescue.
“She’s Miss Basketball,” Fraley said. “And there’s a reason for that.”
Thompson paced Kentucky with 20 points while Ford finished with 15. But that pair also needed 38 shots to get 10 buckets. “Not seeing a shot go in to start the game was the difference,” Ford said. “Usually you can get that going with momentum. That slowed us down.”
In addition to Hull’s board work, Layden grabbed 12 rebounds (and Norman added 5) as Indiana smashed its way to a 61-44 edge in that statistical category. That’s one of the reasons the Hoosiers got away with so many turnovers. Donald finished with 9 points.
Indiana not only avoided the sweep, it also dodged becoming only the second All-Star team to go winless during this week of scrimmages and clashes with the southern neighbors. Don’t forget, Indiana started with a loss to the Junior All-Stars.
“From where we started to where we finished is two completely different places,” Ulrich said. “Any time you’re playing at home, you want to defend your home court. Coming in with that mentality, that we weren’t going to allow them to punch us in the face. We were going to be ready to swing back and take care of business.”
For Norman, the relief was almost as pleasurable as the victory. She capped a fantastic high school career with a final win, and she was almost indispensable after teammate RaShunda Jones went home for her graduation ceremony at South Bend Washington. Norman played all but 28 seconds of the 40 minutes.
“It’s a long week,” Norman said. “It’s a lot more competitive. People think it’s just an All-Star game, it’s just for fun. You’re playing for your state, and it’s a big deal. Nobody wanted to lose that last game.”
In the boys game, Indiana exploded to a 26-7 lead and cruised to a 95-74 win. Mr. Basketball Markus Burton had 26 points and was named MVP. Mason Jones added 18 points and Luke Almodovar totaled 15 for the Hoosiers, who also posted a series split.
Chappelle Whitney paced Kentucky with 13 points while Kenyon Goodin added 12.
* BNL’s Chloe Spreen scored 10 points for the South squad during the inaugural Futures Game. The North prevailed 73-63. Jennings County’s Juliann Woodward led the South with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Maya Makalusky paced the North with 15 points while Jordyn Poole added 11. The South was plagued by 26 turnovers.
