Stars conquer Fishers for 4A crown
Brown scores clutch points as BNL tops Tigers 46-42
By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
INDIANAPOLIS – The smallest kid on the Bedford North Lawrence roster made the biggest play of her life. Now she’s enshrined in history, one of the heroes of the fifth state championship for the program. Way to go, Emma Brown.
Perhaps the last option on the floor, Brown gathered a Madisyn Bailey pass in the deep right corner, faked a shot, and watched a defender fly past. Like the “open sesame” password for the cave that held Aladdin’s lamp, the path through the rugged Fishers defense – to the treasure – was totally unguarded. And Brown stole the show.
Brown’s clutch basket with 19.5 seconds left, and her clinching free throws at 3.7, powered the Stars to a thrilling 46-42 comeback win over Fishers in the Class 4A state championship battle at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night. Chloe Spreen scored 20 points as BNL (27-3) fulfilled dreams with another state title.
What a finish. BNL was in trouble, down seven in the second half, trailing 39-37 with two minutes remaining, gasping for oxygen when Spreen fouled out with 1:50 left, with the evenly-matched teams locked at 40-40.
The final minute will live forever in BNL lore. Two Bailey free throws (after a Tori Nikirk steal) gave BNL the lead with 58.6 left, but the Tigers responded with Talia Harris’ long jumper for another deadlock. Then came Brown, who darted the baseline, hesitated in midair and scooped home the biggest basket of her career. The next Fishers trip ended with an illegal screen foul at 5.3, and Brown was fouled on the inbound pass.
She was so cool, so calm in the bedlam. Swish, swish, and BNL celebrated with that sweet rush to midcourt, setting off a wild explosion of tears, hugs and smiles.
“I was not the person who was meant to get the ball, but I was the one that got open,” Brown said. “I knew everything was on the line. I was wide open, and I hadn’t hit a three all night. I saw a wide open lane, and I took it. It was awesome.
“On the free throws, it was just one of things where I was blocking everything out. I was just focused on the goal. It’s the best feeling. It’s a feeling I can’t describe.”
BNL’s Jeff Allen, who joined three of his predecessors as a state championship coach, was not surprised when Brown went to town.
“She has done that in big games,” Allen said. “She’s not a stat stuffer, but she’ll come up with a play, in a huge game. She’s done it all year long. That’s a credit to her. I said this game would come down to kids making plays, a great game between two evenly matched teams. And it was. What a great game. Our kids just hung around, hung around, figured out a way.”
So figure this out. BNL didn’t make a 3-pointer. Not one of 11. Fishers swarmed senior point guard Karsyn Norman and limited her to two free throws. The Stars scored only three points in the second quarter. Got smashed on the boards (Fishers had 12 offensive rebounds). And then Spreen fouled out. How much adversity can one team handle? BNL deflected all of that.
“If you told me we wouldn’t make a three, and Chloe would foul out, and we would win, I would say ‘Well, I don’t know about that,’” Allen said. “What a remarkable job by our kids, to figure out how to get it done.”
So how did they do it? First, Spreen showed why she will be the frontrunner for 2024 Miss Basketball. In the second half, she was simply sensational, hitting all six of her shots and scoring 14 points, including a 3-point play that created a 37-37 deadlock with 3:24 left.
Second, the Stars answered with grit when Fishers (26-3) clawed to its biggest lead at 26-19 midway through the third. That deficit was erased by Bailey’s baseline drive, by a Spreen layup following a Bailey steal, by a Spreen wing jumper, by a beautiful Spreen spin through traffic for a 30-30 stalemate. Fishers took a 32-30 lead on two Alysia Triplett free throws to close the quarter, but Pride opened the fourth with a layup, and the tense conclusion was inevitable.
“We kept attacking,” Allen said. “I felt like we had a speed advantage, but we needed to attack more. Chloe really took that to heart, really went at them in the second half.”
In the first half, BNL made the first move in front, scoring 10 straight points. Brown zipped to a layup off a Norman theft, Spreen cashed in a fast break, and Pride got loose for a layup off a Spreen pass. Spreen’s 12-footer and a Bailey free throw gave the Stars a 13-9 cushion. Then that got yanked away as Fishers scored the last nine of the half, with Harris striking twice during that surge.
In the third quarter, Joirdyn Smith buried two treys to create the biggest margin. Then BNL went to work.
In addition to the Spreen heroics, Pride totaled 11 points and Bailey added 7 points plus 8 rebounds. Brown totaled six points, capped by the instant classic conclusion.
“I knew what she was capable of, doing her thing,” Spreen said. “We’re very proud of her. We have a great team chemistry, just the bond we have, We have full trust in each other. That’s why we won. We play like we know how to play and play together, That’s what makes us – us.”
“It was really stressful, especially when Chloe fouled out,” Brown said. “It was really nerve racking. Winning is unimaginable. It’s not processing in my head.”
Harris had 15 points for Fishers, while Triplett had 12 boards. Hailey and Olivia Smith, twins destined for Ball State, combined for only 9 points. Fishers finished with a 31-22 edge on the glass.
“We were afraid of that coming in,” Allen said. “They’re very good at that, very athletic. They hurt us. We had to clear space so someone could get the basketball.”
Process this: BNL added a title to the tradition created by the banners hung in 1983, 1991, 2013 and 2014. Dreams do come true.
“These kids, over the last couple of weeks, have been locked in,” Allen said. “This was their goal. I’m so happy they’ve been rewarded, It’s a great feeling. I love coaching basketball, but I love watching kids have success,
“It’s amazing. This run we’ve had to here, there are not words to describe how wonderful I feel. I’ll remember this all my life, these kids will. That’s what this moment does. It make special memories.”
Norman was named the Mental Attitude Award winner as the Stars completed a sweep of the major trophies.
