By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Body damage requires time, and sometimes medicinal assistance, to heal. What about a bruised psyche? There’s no magic pill or rub-it-on balm for that injury, and Bedford North Lawrence does not have the luxury of recovery time.
The Stars got bucked off the horse. Got to get right back on.
With no preparation or practice time, after suffering the first loss of the season, the dazed Stars must regroup in rapid fashion as they face Class 2A No.1 North Knox on Monday night. Talk about sinister scheduling. Not only must BNL deal with the emotional aftermath of a rare beatdown, it must now tangle with another talented foe, which has enjoyed the extravagance of a full week to construct a game plan for the trip to BNL Fieldhouse.
No rest for the weary, nor sympathy for the defending state champions. North Knox will take dead aim at the wounded.
While the recordings of BNL’s head-shaking 62-36 loss to Lawrence North on Saturday night would be best buried in the back yard with the dog’s bones, perhaps flushed like the dead goldfish, it won’t be soon forgotten. However, while the emphatic thumping will cost the Stars their elite ranking when the new polls are released, the greater problem is making sure it doesn’t cost them the next game.
“We’ll bounce back,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “It’s tough when you lose, especially in that fashion.
“I wish it had been a different outcome, from the standpoint of our psyche, but playing again on Monday is a good thing. It’s a good factor for us, we don’t have to sit around and think about it. Hopefully we can play well.”
Lawrence North exposed BNL’s concerns: lack of experience against high-level competition, lack of size against physical talent. The Stars needed their best against the Wildcats. After a promising first quarter, they didn’t have it. BNL made only 10 of 40 shots during the last three quarters, gave up too many second-chance points in that span, and got swept away by the tidal wave.
“The physicality wore us down,” Allen said. “That’s where the younger kids have to give us a little more depth. We’re just not there yet.
“I don’t like losing that way, but the problem was we didn’t make shots. And when we got down after that first run (in the second quarter), it threw a switch where we lost a little confidence. We played well in the first quarter. If we play like that, we’ll be pretty good. Our attitude changed when they made the run. You could see our psyche change and we never recovered.”
What’s next? Another challenge.
North Knox (8-0) will feature a smaller but dangerous lineup with 5-8 sophomore Lexi Primus (12.1 points) and 5-7 junior Alex McKinley (11.7) leading the way. The Warriors rank 11th in the state in scoring defense, allowing only 27.4 points per game. They’ve accumulated those impressive numbers against six Class A foes (including a one-sided 74-2 triumph over Washington Catholic).
“I know they’re undefeated,” Allen said. “But I would think Lawrence North is going to prepare us for about anybody.”
The Warriors, who went 28-2 last season and lost to 2A state champion Forest Park in the semistate, must deal with BNL’s Chloe Spreen, the Miss Basketball candidate and Alabama recruit averaging 22.0 points and 7.1 rebounds. Senior wing Madisyn Bailey is contributing 10.4 points.
Spreen now ranks fourth on the BNL career scoring list (1,512) after passing Jenna Allen (1,495) on Saturday. Her next target is Marla (Inman) Eltrevoog, who scored 1,658 points en route to winning the 1992 Miss Basketball award.
NORTH KNOX at BNL
When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: North Knox 8-0, ranked No.1 in Class 2A; BNL 6-1, ranked No.2 in Class 4A
Sagarin ratings: North Knox 82.81; BNL 89.80
Last meeting: BNL recorded a 64-53 victory to start the 2004-05 season.
Game notes: This is North Knox’s first trip to BNL Fieldhouse since 2003. BNL faced the Warriors in the single-class regional four straight years from 1988-91. North Knox coach Steve Meurer ranks 11th on the active coaching list with 402 career wins in 28 seasons.
Starting lineup
Bedford NL Stars
F – Chloe Spreen 5-10 Sr.
F – Miley Sherrill 5-9 Fr.
G – Madisyn Bailey 5-9 Sr.
G – Trinidy Bailey 5-7 So.
G – Tori Nikirk 5-6 Jr.
North Knox Warriors
F – Alex McKinley 5-7 Jr.
F – Brynna Collins 5-6 Jr.
F – Briley Utt 5-7 Sr.
G – Lexi Primus 5-8 So.
G – Brooklyn Sturgeon 5-4 Jr.
