By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Life in the fast lane will surely make you lose your mind, and Bedford North Lawrence is on the entrance ramp for a high-speed, perilous journey.
The Stars, with their offense yet to shift into overdrive during a 3-2 start, will hit the road for a high-octane burn with Silver Creek, one of the state’s best scoring machines. The Dragons (6-0 and ranked No.8 in Class 3A) have had no check-engine problems thus far, although this weekend will test their mechanical stability.
Silver Creek ranks sixth in the state in scoring at 76.8 points per game. The six wins have been blowouts by an average of 24.7 points. Creek’s issue is one of scheduling timing. BNL will catch them on Saturday, after the Dragons have tangled with Jeffersonville (expected to be a state power once it returns to full strength) the previous night.
The Dragons have faced this gauntlet for three straight years, and have gone 1-5 against the Jeff-BNL combination. The Stars have won all three meetings. Those Creeks teams were in rebuild mode after the Dragons won two 3A state championships in three years (and were favored to win the other before the 2020 postseason was cancelled). These Dragons, with only one senior starter, are on the way back up.
“This is a physical and mental challenge,” Silver Creek coach Brandon Hoffman said. “We have no complaints about where we are right now. But now we’re getting into a really tough stretch in the schedule. This weekend has always been an indicator of where we are.”
Where is BNL? The Stars are about to find out. Coming off the loss at Columbus East, BNL is in the midst of a brutal run against four teams that are currently undefeated, and the next three are ranked (or likely will be when the new poll is released).
“It’s not getting any easier,” BNL coach Kurt Godlevske said. “Every game is important for us.”
Silver Creek’s offense has been generating a tremendous amount of horsepower. Junior guards Dane Sprigler and Kason Daeger are both averaging 21.5, while sophomore Brandon Hunter is a triple-double threat who runs the show at 8.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 10.3 assists. The Dragons also have size inside with 6-8 junior Dane Caldwell (9.8 points, 6.5 boards) and 6-6 senior Walker Hoffman.
“It’s the pace of play, the number of kids who shoot it well,” Godlevske said. “They have size, which presents a problem inside. So it will be if we can get out and contain their shooters, defend them. When you have a high school team putting up those points, against quality teams, it’s incredible.”
The Stars have yet to function at that high level, averaging a modest 51.2 points. The two losses (Bloomington South and East) have the common theme of slow starts and impressive comebacks that fell short.
“We’ve hurt ourselves a little bit,” Godlevske said. “I think our starts have to improve. We can’t put ourselves in the positions we have been in those losses. We’re struggling, not being patient. Not in terms of trying to hold the ball, but being impatient for what is a good shot or a great shot. We’ve been really addressing that.”
Senior guard Patric Matson leads BNL in scoring at 18.0, senior shooter Quincy Pickett is contributing 10.1, and senior post Logan Miracle is adding 9.8. The Stars would prefer to slow down the Dragons, rather than get caught in a scoring drag race.
Last year, the Stars shot their way to a 72-60 victory. Noah Godlevske stroked six treys and scored a career-high 30 points, while Matson added 23 points and 10 rebounds. Hunter had 24 points and Daeger totaled 17 for Silver Creek.
“Any time you have a player like Matson, they can beat anybody,” Hoffman said. “He can score in bunches, he’s a tough matchup. Quincy is shooting it well, and Miracle is much improved. They’re going to run their stuff well and be disciplined. It will be a tough game for us. Bedford has always given us trouble because they have good players and they’re well coached.
“I like the way we’re playing. We’re a good offensive team, we move the ball, we’ve shot it really well so far. We can play different styles.”
BNL at SILVER CREEK
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: BNL 3-2; Silver Creek 6-0 (vs. Jeffersonville on Friday), ranked No.8 in Class 3A
Sagarin ratings: BNL 77.84; Silver Creek 88.82
Last meeting: Last year at BNL, Noah Godlevske hit 6 treys and scored a career-high 30 points as the Stars blasted to a 72-60 win. Patric Matson added 23 points for BNL. Brandon Hunter had 24 points and Kason Daeger added 17 for the Dragons.
Previous game story: Stars cook with blue-flame gas
Game notes: Silver Creek leads the series 6-4, but BNL has won the last three meetings.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F – Dax Short 6-1 Jr.
F – Isaiah Sasser 6-0 Sr.
C – Logan Miracle 6-5 Sr.
G – Patric Matson 6-5 Sr.
G – Quincy Pickett 6-3 Sr.
Silver Creek Dragons
F – Walker Hoffman 6-6 Sr.
F – Dane Caldwell 6-8 Jr.
G – Brandon Hunter 6-2 So.
G – Kason Daeger 6-2 Jr.
G – Dane Sprigler 6-0 Jr.
