By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – After six quarters of struggling, first-year Bedford North Lawrence coach Greg Burton decided it was time for his first pointed message.
Analysts always love discussing halftime “adjustments” when a team plays better after intermission. Most of the time, that’s an overblown talking point. In reality, rather than tinker with strategy, the meeting usually centers on two subjects – effort and attitude. In BNL’s case, an attitude adjustment was in order.
It worked. The Stars shook off the shaky final four minutes of the first half and scurried to their first victory, conquering Bloomington North on Tuesday. Now Burton wants the effects of that sermon to carry over when BNL faces another step up in competition level on Friday night.
BNL (1-1) will host Class 3A No.11 Scottsburg in a renewal of an ancient rivalry, and the danger level of the Warriorettes (0-2) must not be dismissed because of their record. They will be BNL’s toughest test to date in the early stages of this season.
The Stars are coming off that 57-42 win over the Cougars with a shot of confidence. First wins always break the tension, especially for a program in regime change.
“We definitely improved from the first game to the second,” Burton said. “Just from our talk at halftime, and our film session, practice was night-and-day better. We’ve grown a lot.
“They understand that I will let them play through mistakes of the ball going in or not. I won’t let them play through laziness. That’s what we had to fix. Nobody is trying to miss a shot. As long as you bust your tail, we’re OK. Water will find its level at some point.”
BNL’s shooting struggles, 25.6 percent (20 of 78) in the first six quarters, seemed to vanish in the second half (13 of 26, a more respectable 50 percent) against North. Funny how that coincided with the lecture. The more impressive stat was BNL’s offensive balance, with four scorers in double figures, and the rebounding edge (led by Makaya Jackson and Trinidy Bailey).
“We have to spread it out,” Burton said. “We have kids that can score, we have shooters that can hit shots. I loved our balance, hopefully that’s a trend going forward. We’ve had effort in rebounding, the problem was running to the rim. The only ball you’re going to get then in the one that goes in. We have to carry over what we did in the second half and keep taking steps.“
Scottsburg opened with losses to 3A No.5 Chatard (57-50) and 3A No.10 Jennings County (68-53 on Wednesday night). Ellie Richardson is the top scorer at 23.0 points per game, while senior guard Lola Fouts added 16 points in the road loss to the Panthers.
“They’re totally different in style than the first two teams we played,” Burton said. “They have a kid who can really score, she plays at a high level. We have to know where she is. We have our work cut out for us, it will be a step up.”
BNL will counter with Miley Sherrill (11.0) as the offensive leader, while Tori Nikirk (8.5), Paige Burton (7.5) and Katie Godlevske (7.0) have all taken turns with production. Jackson had a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards against North.
“We are looking forward to being tested against BNL,” Scottsburg coach Carrie Daniels said. “They are such a solid and storied program. It will be good to gauge of where we are versus where we need to get to.”
BNL and Scottsburg last clashed in 2013, when the Stars were on their way to a state championship.
SCOTTSBURG at BNL
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: Scottsburg 0-2 (ranked No.10 in Class 3A); BNL 1-1
Last meeting: BNL prevailed 58-53 during the 2012-13 season.
Game notes: BNL has won seven straight in the series. Former Scottsburg coach Donna Cheatham still tops the state’s all-time list with 730 career wins.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F – Miley Sherrill 5-9 So.
F – Katie Godlevske 5-6 Sr.
G – Tori Nikirk 5-6 Sr.
G – Trinidy Bailey 5-7 Jr.
G – Paige Burton 5-4 Jr.
Scottsburg Warriorettes
F – Addison Elliott 5-6 Sr.
F – K.K. Grogan 5-9 Fr.
G – Ellie Richardson 5-8 Sr.
G – Addison Eldridge 5-4 Sr.
G – Lola Fouts 5-4 Sr.
