By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BROWNSBURG – The prayer was not silent, because Brownsburg coach Debbie Smiley was screaming “You gotta shoot, you gotta shoot!” Even through the muffler of Smiley’s mask, junior guard Miya Webb heard it.
Just in front of her bench, a long way from the basket and short time to get there, Webb fired, and the answered invocation will be heard across the state as Brownsburg cut down No.3 Bedford North Lawrence with a shot that will go viral.
Webb’s deep 3-pointer just ahead of the buzzer lifted the Bulldogs to a 43-42 victory over the Stars on Saturday night. BNL (4-1) had battled back from a 10-point deficit in the second half, from a 7-point hole in the fourth quarter, only to have its heart broken with the last-shot heroics from an unexpected source.
Brownsburg (2-3) got possession with 33 seconds left following a BNL turnover. The probable plan was for star guard Ally Becki to have the chance at deciding her team’s fate. But when she passed the ball off as time ticked away, BNL defender Karsyn Norman wasn’t going to allow her to touch it again.
So Kailyn Terrell dribbled around Becki and spotted Webb on the right wing. She reached back for the pass, locked and fired. Swish. Pure and perfect. Brownsburg’s bench exploded with joy, the Stars sagged in defeat for the first time.
“It was not drawn up that way,” Smiley said. “It was kind of a prayer. But it went in. It was a big shot, I’m glad she took it. I was screaming.”
BNL’s screams are silent, the inner voices lashing out after the Stars locked down Brownsburg for the final 6 minutes, not allowing a basket until the Webb bomb. They will kick themselves for the last turnover, for the dismal shooting (28 percent).
“The rule is don’t get down 10 on the road,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “That’s a good way to keep that from happening.
“The girl made a great shot, a great play. That’s what basketball is about. You have to give her credit.”
Give Brownsburg credit for a defensive web that shut down BNL’s electric offense. Smiley gambled on a match-up zone, hoping BNL would not shoot holes in it. The only thing BNL shot was its own feet with a 2-for-15 night from distance through the first three quarters.
Give the Stars credit for a late surge. Chloe Spreen started it with a rebound of her own miss, Chloe McKnight connected from extra-long distance, Haley Deckard worked free for a layup off a McKnight pass, and Spreen sank an 8-footer from lane for a 42-40 lead with 3:18 – BNL’s first advantage since 4-3 early in the first quarter. The Stars might not have deserved the opportunity after their first three quarters, but there they were.
“We battled back,” Allen said. “That‘s a good team. We knew we were in for a battle. I wish we had shot better, I wish we had found a solution for that zone. It’s all about making shots. If you make shots, you pull them out of it.”
Well, that wasn’t happening. Brownsburg rolled to a 15-7 lead, then struggled with foul trouble as three starters picked up three each. Spreen scored 7 points as BNL scrambled within 22-20 at the half.
The Bulldogs zipped to their double-digit lead in the third as Terrell popped a 12-footer, Destiny Thomas beat pressure for a layup, and Becki hit a step-back trey for a 37-27 difference. The Stars were teetering, although they didn’t go down. They dug in on the defensive end as Brownsburg missed 6 straight shots during the BNL rally.
All that good work was wasted when Webb stroked her jumper.
Becki finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds while Webb totaled 8 points. Brownsburg, working through makeshift lineups because of virus quarantines, was without one starter. So this win was a huge boost.
“We’ve been on the losing end of close ballgames with good teams,” Smiley said, finally able to smile after ending a three-game skid. “We had a long time to prepare. We’ve been practicing for Bedford for a week (since losing to Ben Davis on Nov. 14).
“We stuck to the game plan. It was such a catch-22. They’re such good shooters. I knew playing a match-up was a huge chance. I was hoping they would not hit early, and they didn’t. Our kids did a nice job of containing certain individuals.”
Spreen totaled 19 points while McKnight finished with 13 while hitting her last three shots. But BNL usually has four in double figures and averaged 62 points per game in the first four wins. The Stars didn’t come close to that, with a pace that favored the Bulldogs.
“Their zone frustrated us,” Allen said. “We took some shots that we settled for, and when we missed we got more frustrated.”
BNL will now start Hoosier Hills Conference competition, hosting Jennings County on Tuesday.
BEDFORD NL STARS (42)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
22 Irye Gomez, f 1-5 1-6 0-0 2 2 3
11 Chloe McKnight, f 3-8 3-8 4-4 3 4 13
2 Chloe Spreen, g 0-1 5-12 9-10 6 1 19
21 Karsyn Norman, g 0-6 2-11 0-2 1 1 4
23 Jenna Louden, g 0-0 0-2 1-2 1 1 1
40 Haley Deckard 0-0 1-4 0-0 4 1 2
12 Makena Moore 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 1 0
24 Carlee Kern 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 1 0
Totals 4-20 12-43 14-18 23 12 42
BROWNSBURG BULLDOGS (43)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
30 Allison Shaffer, f 0-0 0-1 0-0 2 3 0
12 Destiny Thomas, g 0-2 2-6 0-0 2 1 4
22 Ally Becki, g 2-4 5-12 2-2 9 3 14
14 Kailyn Terrell, g 1-3 2-5 0-0 3 4 5
5 Miya Webb, g 2-4 3-7 0-0 0 2 8
42 Ra’Mya Milton 0-0 0-0 2-6 5 0 2
34 Leah Yarbrough 0-0 2-3 0-2 5 1 4
10 Kiera Guckenberger 0-0 2-3 0-0 1 1 4
40 Novalee Glass 0-0 1-4 0-0 8 1 2
Totals 5-13 17-42 4-10 38 16 43
Bedford NL 7 13 10 12 – 42
Brownsburg 13 9 15 6 – 43
Turnovers – BNL 11, Brownsburg 17
Field goal percentage – BNL 12-43 (.279); Brownsburg 17-42 (.404)
Free throw percentage – BNL 14-18 (.778); Brownsburg 4-10 (.400)
