By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – One scoring run told the story, one sequence during that burst was a microcosm of Bedford North Lawrence’s latest loss.
During a four-minute span in the second quarter, New Albany flexed with a 14-0 blast. One possession during that time frame encapsulated why the No.7 Bulldogs broke free from their leash. Two blocked shots and a breakaway layup – all by the same dude – sent a strong message. This was not going to be BNL’s night. The Stars hung their heads in collective acknowledgment.
Spurred by a sensational freshman, sparked by Chris Lampkins’ physical force, New Albany thumped BNL 72-56 on Friday night. Rookie phenom Noah Washington, quite comfortable in the spotlight, had 25 points as the Bulldogs (16-3) added to BNL’s current woes. The Stars (8-10) matched the program record with their fifth straight setback.
Washington, destined for greatness, scored all of New Albany’s first-quarter points, waiting for some support from his talented cast. The other Bulldogs came to life after Jacob Ritter’s wing bomb gave BNL its only lead at 13-12.
Rylan Schrink started the deciding run with a 3-point play, and Lampkins powered inside for a rebound basket. After T.J. Washington buried a bomb, Lampkins made the Hudl viral highlights. He blocked a 3-pointer from Patric Matson, rejected a second shot by Quincy Pickett, then raced to the other end for a layup to cap a mind-bending, back-breaking series as New Albany stormed to a 26-13 lead.
“Once they made that push, the wheels kind of fell off for a little bit,” BNL coach Kurt Godlevske said. “We hung our heads a little bit because of that and never really regrouped.”
“We hope that our pressure, over time, will lead to a run,” New Albany coach Jason Jones said. “We scored, turned them over, scored. The end goal, at the end of the day, is to have a couple of those a game.”
New Albany cruised to a 34-19 lead at intermission, then extended the margin in the second half. The Stars closed within 49-34 as Logan Miracle and Ritter ripped treys and Gibson Crane muscled inside for a rebound bucket. But Jordan Treat broke away for a long pass to beat BNL’s press for a layup, then stole the inbound pass for another easy basket as the Bulldogs growled to a 57-37 lead.
Washington capped his performance with three fourth-quarter baskets, the last for New Albany’s biggest lead at 67-41. The Stars salvaged some dignity with the final 10 points.
How good is the freshman? Other notable young stars have graced Damon Bailey Court, including the floor’s namesake and Romeo Langford, New Albany’s own generational hero. Washington might not be to their level yet, but BNL was unable to defend him or win a debate against his inclusion to that list. He caught the Stars in defensive sleep mode with his early barrage, then made defensive stops difficult with his fluid game. He was 9 of 16 from the floor, plus he added 8 rebounds.
“He’s really good,” Jones said. “He shoots it with such ease, even the ones he missed looked like they were going in. He’s been consistent like that all year. He’s just a solid kid. The big-time games we’ve had on our schedule, he’s shown up in every one of them.”
Schrink added 13 points and Lampkins totaled 11, but the focus was on the up-and-coming star.
“Smooth and creative,” Godlevske said. “He has a very really feel of where he is on the floor. When the physical component gets in with his game, he will be very dangerous.
“They shot the ball very well (8 of 17 from long range). When they do that, when they have the inside-outside game going, they’re very hard to guard.”
Logan Miracle paced BNL (which finished 1-5 in the Hoosier Hills Conference) with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Matson was limited to 11 points, about half his season average and a far cry from his career-high 39 he posted at New Albany last season.
“We just stayed down and challenged shots,” Jones said. “Even the ones he made, he made them over people. That was our goal. If a guy makes contested shots, you tip your hat. Luckily he didn’t make very many.”
New Albany finished the league race at 5-1, unable to catch Jeffersonville, which has already clinched the league crown. This win was more about a possible sectional rematch (the IHSAA will reveal those pairings on Sunday) and the establishment of momentum for the postseason.
“Every game right now, we need to treat it like a sectional game,” Jones said. “This was a conference away game, a statement game. We’re trying to approach it with a sectional-type feel to it.”
BNL needs a win. More importantly, it needs to recovers its machismo. The Stars have lost six off seven in the last month, dating back to the loss at Seymour that started this surprising downward spiral.
“We’re going to focus on us,” Godlevske said. “We need to refind the joy of playing together. We’ve lost that throughout the process.”
The Stars will visit Evansville North on Saturday night.
NEW ALBANY BULLDOGS (72)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
33 Noah Washington, f 3-7 9-16 4-6 8 2 25
15 Braden Brewer, f 1-2 1-6 0-0 6 0 3
13 Rylan Schrink, g 0-3 4-9 5-5 5 0 13
2 T.J. Washington, g 2-3 2-4 0-0 1 0 6
11 Jordan Treat, g 0-0 4-8 1-1 3 3 9
22 Chris Lampkins 1-2 5-10 0-0 6 2 11
23 Braxton Mayfield 1-1 1-2 0-0 2 0 3
5 James Knox 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
4 Reece McKee 0-0 1-1 0-0 1 0 2
30 Seth Winslow 0-0 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 8-17 27-57 10-12 35 8 72
BEDFORD NL STARS (56)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
5 Dax Short, f 1-6 3-12 0-0 8 0 7
22 Isaiah Sasser, f 1-1 1-3 0-0 3 0 3
31 Logan Miracle, c 1-1 7-14 0-0 7 2 15
10 Patric Matson, g 0-4 4-13 3-4 5 3 11
3 Quincy Pickett, g 1-4 2-7 0-0 2 4 5
12 Jacob Ritter 2-3 3-4 0-0 0 1 8
4 Parker Kern 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 1 3
24 Gibson Crane 0-0 2-2 0-0 2 0 4
11 Colton Taylor 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
23 Tyler Stigall 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 7-21 23-57 3-4 27 11 56
New Albany 10 24 23 15 – 72
Bedford NL 8 11 18 19 – 56
Turnovers – New Albany 9, BNL 12
Field goal percentage – New Albany 27-57 (.473); BNL 23-57 (.405)
Free throw percentage – New Albany 10-12 (.833); BNL 3-4 (.750)
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