By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
GALENA – Written off and ticked off, Bedford North Lawrence proved a winner’s heart and resolve can never be discarded. This champion got decked by an opponent’s best shot, got off the canvas, and stunned the state.
All good things must come to an end. Even the best of times. But not right now. BNL added to its championship legacy and tradition with an instant-classic victory that ranks among the sweetest. Vengeance was BNL’s, the debt was collected as the Stars repaid a regular-season loss with the win that matters most – a sectional title.
Casting the defending state champions as underdogs is a risky move. The No.14 Stars took it personally, even though they had suffered a tough loss to Jennings County, even though the rankings and power ratings favored the hungry Panthers. That’s why this comeback win ranks among the special ones in program history. They were doubted, they were overlooked, yet they still stand following a dramatic 43-39 victory in the sectional final on Saturday night.
Madisyn Bailey and Chloe Spreen, seniors and sisters in arms, were the heroes as BNL battled back from an early nine-point deficit and tore Jennings’ heart out. Bailey scored a career-high 24 points and Spreen added 16 as BNL (20-4) advanced to the one-game regional against No.2 Center Grove.
BNL extended its remarkable sectional streak – that’s 13 titles in a row, that’s 39 straight sectional wins. “This is what we do,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “We win sectional games. That’s what we do.”
The Stars did it at Jennings’ expense once again. BNL has eliminated the Panthers eight times in the last nine years, including six times in finals. This was, by all indicators and predictions, the Year of the Panther. Jennings had blasted BNL by 17 during the regular season. The Panthers (23-4) were ranked No.5 and favored to repeat that.
“Everyone doubted us this whole sectional,” Spreen said. “But we had faith in each other.”
That belief could have been rocked when Jennings exploded to an 18-9 lead in the first quarter, raining down four quick treys. The Panthers kept up the barrage with three more bombs before halftime, yet when the smoke cleared the Jennings lead had been reduced to 29-26. Allen could sense something remarkable ahead.
“The way they were shooting the ball early, they shot the ball as well as they could shoot it,” he said. “And we were only down three. I told the kids, if I were them, I would be a little nervous. If we could get stops, and finally get the lead, we had a chance.”
And that’s exactly how it played out. BNL’s defensive determination in the second half was incredible, holding a team that was averaging over 60 points a game to only 10 after intermission. Slowly, irrepressibly, inevitably, the Stars worked their way back, putting their fate in the hands of the two seniors.
Bailey scored from the lane and Spreen was sent crashing into the bleachers during a drive, with the two resulting free throws cutting the deficit to 31-30. Then BNL squandered four straight possessions to take the lead over the next four minutes, before finally inching in front on two more Spreen foul shots. Jennings sophomore Mollie Ernstes buried a trey, which seemed to stop the momentum.
BNL was relentless. Spreen converted three more free throws to force a 35-35 deadlock with 4:42 left. Bailey slipped to the corner for a go-ahead bomb, and the pressure now shifted to the Panthers. Alivia Elmore blasted to the basket for a layup, but her next charge through the lane ended with Trinidy Bailey drawing a huge offensive foul. Spreen made another at the line for a 39-37 lead with 1:03 left.
Jennings finally unraveled. Juliann Woodard missed a jumper, and Spreen claimed that board. Bailey was fouled, and she made both for a two-possession lead. After the Panthers were whistled for an illegal screen, Tori Nikirk made a foul shot with 24.8 left. After a rushed Jennings air ball, Spreen made another at the line with 14 seconds left as the celebration eruption bubbled. Finally, after Jennings’ Madelyn McIntosh scored with 2.9 seconds remaining, the ball appropriately ended in Spreen’s hands. Then came the buzzer and the best mob scene at midcourt.
Bailey was simply amazing. She had 17 points in the first half, hitting all but one of her shots, to keep BNL from getting buried. And her defensive work was even better. Woodard, on her way to the Indiana All-Star team and later Michigan State, was limited to one basket and 5 points.
“Goodness sakes, Madisyn is an incredible defender,” Allen said. “Pick a position. She kept us in it in the first half. When they were shooting the lights out, she kept us in it. They were making things difficult on Chloe, and Madisyn really went to work. I can’t say enough about those two seniors, they’re just outstanding.”
Spreen, adding to her Miss Basketball candidacy, did the bulk of her damage at the line, hitting 12 of 16. That was another big difference.
“I just knew, if we kept the straight-line attacks, we could get to the rim and the free-throw line,” Allen said. “We just had a lot of confidence, especially after they played well last night (against Silver Creek in the semifinal), it carried over to today. We were poised and played with great defensive effort. We just buckled down defensively in the second half.“
After the torrid start, the Panthers hit only 4 of 20 shots in the second half. Elmore finished with 12 points and Ernstes added 9.
BNL simply would not be denied. After 12 years of postseason bliss, the Stars were not prepared for the pain of heartache. Refusing to lose is an overused sports cliche, but in this case it’s definitely accurate. Spurred by the 58-41 loss at Jennings in early January, the Stars sought and earned revenge.
“It feels really good,” Bailey said. “There was no one who expected us to win that game, except us and our fan base. I don’t think they expected us to hang in there. Once we took the lead, I could feel it. We just had to keep playing our game and fight back.”
Knocking down a champion isn’t enough. Got to knock ‘em out. Jennings didn’t. BNL was a 9-point underdog, given only a 30-percent chance to win. Sometimes the computers miss the intangibles.
“They tried to write us off, but we didn’t write back,” Spreen said with a laugh. “This one is big, it means a lot. We’ve been through so much this year, with all the doubts about us not winning the sectional. To prove everyone wrong is the best feeling. I’m so proud of the team.
“I can’t even tell you how hard we worked for this. We knew it would work out in some way for us. We just played so hard.“
“We came in as the underdog,” Allen said, with fire in his eyes. “So you have to go back to 2018, when we beat Jeffersonville in double overtime (in the final), to feel like I feel now.”
BNL won its 33rd overall sectional title. Now the Stars will defend their regional crown when they face Center Grove on Feb. 10. The IHSAA will announce the site and time for that clash on Sunday morning.
BEDFORD NL STARS (43)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
2 Chloe Spreen, f 0-0 2-9 12-16 7 4 16
22 Miley Sherrill, f 0-1 1-3 0-0 8 0 2
24 Madisyn Bailey, g 4-5 8-11 4-4 2 4 24
32 Trinidy Bailey, g 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
12 Tori Nikirk, g 0-2 0-2 1-2 0 2 1
20 Bella Jackson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 4-9 11-25 17-22 21 10 43
JENNINGS COUNTY PANTHERS (39)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
22 Juliann Woodard, f 1-1 1-9 2-2 6 5 5
2 Avynn Belding, f 2-4 3-6 0-0 3 2 8
31 Mollie Ernstes, g 2-8 3-10 1-2 5 1 9
20 Alivia Elmore, g 2-4 8-9 0-0 3 3 12
5 Madelyn McIntosh, g 1-2 2-3 0-0 2 4 5
13 Riley Byford 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 8-19 14-37 3-4 20 15 39
Bedford NL 11 15 6 11 – 43
Jennings Co. 18 11 6 4 – 39
Turnovers – BNL 7, Jennings Co. 6
Field goal percentage – BNL 11-25 (.440); Jennings Co. 14-37 (.378)
Free throw percentage – BNL 17-22 (.773); Jennings Co. 3-4 (.750)
ALL-SECTIONAL TEAM
Chloe Spreen, BNL
Juliann Woodard, Jennings Co.
Alivia Elmore, Jennings Co.
Madisyn Bailey, BNL
Brooklynn Renn, Silver Creek
