By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Every day, as she walked through the hallway where the icons of Bedford North Lawrence are immortalized, as she practiced and played under the banners hanging in the rafters of the gymnasium, Chloe Spreen was reminded of the royal legacy of the program. Now she’s officially part of it.
Spreen was selected for the roster to represent Indiana in the annual All-Star series with Kentucky. She will join the pantheon of all-time greats as she becomes the program’s 12th Indiana All-Star (BNL’s fourth in the last six years). Nothing is cheap about this dozen, a list that includes the best players in team history.
Her accolades for an amazing career are not finished. She’s one of the leading candidates for the ultimate honor, the 2024 Miss Basketball award, which will be announced later this week. She will play college basketball at Alabama.
Spreen’s selection for the Indiana All-Stars was inevitable. Her numbers and achievements validate her addition. As a senior, she averaged 20.9 points and 6.9 rebounds, leading the Stars to a 20-5 record and their 13th consecutive Class 4A sectional title. As a junior, she totaled 19.0 points, 5.3 boards and 3.2 assists as BNL won its fifth state championship, and she was named an Indiana Junior All-Star. She finished second on the school’s career scoring list with 1,869 points, and the Stars won 93 games during her tenure.
“There is obviously a lot of great girls that have come through,” Spreen said. “It just shows how big Indiana is, how they cherish basketball so much. I don’t put too much pressure on myself. I just let my goals carry me, just work hard and see where it takes me.”
BNL now ranks second in All-Star history with 12 picks, matching Lawrence North (12). Ben Davis leads the way with 14.
“We’ve been really fortunate that we have a lot of young girls that want to be great basketball players,” said former BNL coach Jeff Allen, who coached the All-Stars in 2021. “That’s one thing that has led to our success. And it goes back to our community, how kids are raised around here and what they believe. They believe in hard work and dedication, and loyalty. Those things all pays dividends down the road.”
The rest of the 13-player Indiana roster includes some familiar names from the BNL schedule, including Center Grove’s Audrey Annee and Rachel Wirts, Fishers’ Talia Harris, Noblesville’s Reagan Wilson, and Jennings County’s Juliann Woodard. Wilson and Fort Wayne Snider’s Jordyn Poole are also considered among the top candidates for Miss Basketball.
Now the goal will shift to beating Kentucky. Spreen and the All-Stars will convene in early June to focus on sweeping that series. Indiana leads the series 53-41. The Hoosiers, under the guidance of Zionsville coach Andy Maguire, will face Kentucky on foreign soil on June 7, then host the second half of the home-and-home set on June 8 in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They will also face the Indiana Junior All-Stars in an exhibition game at Kokomo on June 5.
“I’m just going to play my game,” Spreen said. “I know I will play with high-level, talented kids, people I’ve played with before. So I will do whatever I can to help us win. We have great chemistry together. Taking a group of good, talented girls is a good way to rep Indiana.”
BNL’S INDIANA ALL-STARS
1978 – Rhonda Hillenburg
1983 – Kelly Fitzgerald
1991 – Amy Walker, Carrie Mount
1992 – Marla Inman (Miss Basketball)
2015 – Dominique McBryde, Jenna Allen, Alexa Bailey
2019 – Jorie Allen (Miss Basketball)
2021 – Chloe McKnight
2023 – Karsyn Norman
2024 – Chloe Spreen
