By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – The magic number is 50.
When Terre Haute North allows less than that number, it wins. Pretty simple. And the Patriots do that a lot. Defense might not be charming or attractive, but victories make everything look great.
After winning 10 consecutive games, North will invade BNL Fieldhouse on Saturday night. The battle line is already draw. The Patriots (13-3) are 1-3 when surrendering 50-plus points, undefeated when they don’t, and they’ve held nine consecutive opponents under that mark. While they’re not setting the world on fire on one end, they’re dousing everything on the other.
“We’ve been playing much better and coming together on both end of the floor in the last month,” veteran North coach Todd Woelfle said. “Everyone’s roles are now defined and guys are comfortable in those roles and responsibilities.”
On the offensive end, senior Kavish Reddy leads the way at 11.5 points, while senior Braden Walters contributes 11.3 points, 5.9 boards and 3.5 assists. Those numbers don’t cause any worry or swooning, but the defensive average of 45.0 takes away some pressure to score and can take away the breath of the opposing offense. Defense travels, defense wins.
“It’s how disciplined they are,” BNL coach Kurt Godlevske said. “They don’t get sped up, they don’t get carried away, they play to their strengths. They really run their stuff tight. They’ve got size (with 6-9 junior Bryce Renn in the middle) and skill.”
BNL has the firepower to counter that with junior Patric Matson (19.5) and senior Noah Godlevske (15.5).
“It’s a typical BNL team,” Woelfle said. “Disciplined, tough defensively, and the chemistry appears good. They must have high basketball IQs because they run several good sets and actions.
“Matson is impressive on film and a problem. They have multiple guys who can shoot it as well. Coach Godlevske runs really good stuff. Our defensive rotations need to be crisp or they will make you pay. We will need to be at our best on the road. It’s a very tough place to win.”
The Stars have won five of the last six meetings in the series, and three of those triumphs came in overtime. Last year at North, Colten Leach scored 22 points (and became the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points), and Colton Staggs hit four clutch free throws in overtime during a 48-46 victory.
TERRE HAUTE NORTH at BNL
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: TH North 13-3; BNL 10-3 (at Jeffersonville on Friday)
Sagarin ratings: TH North 81.86; BNL 77.60
Last meeting: Last year at North, Colten Leach scored 22 points and Colton Staggs hit four key free throws in overtime as the Stars prevailed 48-46. Kavish Reddy came off the bench to score 12 points for the Patriots.
Previous game story: Party crashers! Stars conquer TH North
Game notes: BNL has won five of the last six meetings in the series, and three wins have been in overtime. TH North’s current 10-game winning streak is its best since starting 2021-22 with 12 straight victories.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F – Patric Matson 6-3 Jr.
F – Logan Miracle 6-4 Jr.
G – Noah Godlevske 5-11 Sr.
G – Trace Rynders 5-11 Sr.
G – Maddox Ray 5-11 Sr.
TH North Patriots
F – Kavish Reddy 6-2 Sr.
F – Braden Walters 6-5 Sr.
C – Bryce Renn 6-9 Jr.
G – Kam Baker 6-2 Sr.
G – Cam Fennell 6-2 So.
