By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
SEYMOUR – Comfort is defined as a state of physical ease, freedom from pain. Bedford North Lawrence refuses to allow the opponent to understand that concept.
With their defense constricting to maximum pressure and force, the Stars took the breath and life out of Seymour’s attack. The more the Owls struggled, the more BNL’s python coils squeezed. The running clock, courtesy of the new mercy rule, was inevitable as the Stars continued their assault on the Hoosier Hills Conference championship.
No.4 BNL, even during a lackluster shooting performance from the perimeter in the spacious confines of Lloyd Scott Gymnasium, overwhelmed the Owls 64-26 on Thursday night. Chloe Spreen had 19 points and Karsyn Norman totaled 16 for the Stars, who blasted to 9-1 overall and 4-0 atop the conference standings.
But points weren’t the story. Preventing them was. Seymour (5-4, 0-2) had totaled only 13 points when the running clock (when the margin reaches 35-plus points) was triggered late in the third quarter. The Owls had managed only three field goals until that point.
“That’s what we talked about, on the road, getting stops and make it difficult,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “The kids really executed, played well on the defensive end. Our defense led to some easy baskets. Sometimes you have to rely on defense when you don’t shoot the ball well.”
Yes, the Stars weren’t perfect. They were 2 of 17 from the 3-point line, and missed over half their free throws. As senior forward Carlee Kern observed, talking about herself but it applied across the board, “couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.” Allen had to smile, because that’s the only negative stat.
“I’m a coach. I have to find something to complain about,” he admitted.
The forced turnovers (20) created a lot of breakout layups to correct the misses from long range. Spreen shook off a rocky start by hitting 8 of her last 10 shots, most from the shadow of the rim. Norman turned steals into points for herself and others in transition. Madisyn Bailey had 12 points, most during the first half when any doubt of the outcome remained.
The blowout started immediately when BNL raced to a 10-0 lead in the first 4:36. The gap hit 20 (27-7) midway through the second quarter during another 10-0 burst, and the BNL advantage ballooned to 49-13 with a 16-0 eruption in the third quarter.
Mallory Pride, more and more comfortable with her role, had 9 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Spreen added 8 boards.
“Set up a cut and go get it,” Pride said of her approach on the glass. “It’s just been getting easier as the season goes along.” BNL had a 39-28 rebounding advantage. “Our team is looking good together.”
“She was all over the boards,” Allen said. “She continues to get better and better as the season goes along. Carlee (Kern) with her interior defense was outstanding. So I’m really happy about that effort.
Seymour, which suffered its eighth straight loss in the series, had limited production from Brooke Trinkle (9 points). Leading scorer Kendall Sterling was held scoreless, senior forward Grace Schrader managed only 4 points. Kern did most of the blanket work inside, while BNL’s guard pressure did a lot of damage. The Owls knew no comfort.
“Everybody was doing a good job, helping me on the back side,” Kern said. ”I had to rely on them to really help me, trying to stay in front of those big girls. They did a good job up top, pressuring the ball so they couldn’t get a good look.
“Everything is getting smoother, we’re starting to trust one another. It’s coming all together.”
BNL, with its 3-game road trip concluded, will return to action on Saturday night, hosting Brownsburg.
BEDFORD NL STARS (64)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
2 Chloe Spreen, f 0-5 9-18 1-2 8 2 19
24 Carlee Kern, f 0-2 0-5 2-4 3 1 2
22 Mallory Pride, f 0-0 4-6 1-3 13 1 9
32 Madisyn Bailey, g 1-3 4-9 3-4 1 0 12
21 Karsyn Norman, g 1-4 7-13 1-2 5 2 16
31 Ella Turner 0-0 2-3 0-2 6 0 4
23 Hadley Teague 0-1 0-2 0-0 1 0 0
3 Katie Baumgart 0-0 1-1 0-0 1 0 2
11 Tori Nikirk 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
50 Emma Crane 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
44 Bella Jackson 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
40 Chesney Bay 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 2-17 27-59 8-17 39 8 64
SEYMOUR OWLS (26)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
20 Grace Schrader, f 0-0 2-5 0-0 1 4 4
22 Journee Brown, f 0-0 1-3 0-2 4 3 2
23 Brooke Trinkle, g 1-5 2-14 4-6 1 1 9
25 Kendall Sterling, g 0-3 0-7 0-0 6 1 0
31 Greer Henry, g 0-0 1-1 0-1 3 1 2
12 Kaylee Waskom 0-2 0-2 0-0 2 0 0
2 Eliza Cash 1-1 1-1 0-0 1 0 3
34 Claire Marshall 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
35 Lainey Jackson 0-1 0-1 1-2 3 0 1
13 Kendrick Sterling 1-2 1-3 0-0 1 0 3
10 Jaidyn Nichols 0-1 1-3 0-0 0 0 2
Totals 3-15 9-40 5-11 28 10 26
Bedford NL 13 19 21 11 – 64
Seymour 3 8 4 11 – 26
Turnovers – BNL 7, Seymour 20
Field goal percentage – BNL 27-59 (.458); Seymour 9-40 (.225)
Free throw percentage – BNL 8-17 (.471); Seymour 5-11 (.455)
