By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
NEWBURGH – Bedford North Lawrence has entered unfamiliar, uncharted territory.
For the first time in four years, the Stars have suffered back-to-back losses, and the back end was especially tough as Castle fended off BNL’s valiant charge, spurred by the dire circumstance, to record a 57-55 overtime win on Saturday afternoon.
Jordan Scott scored 17 points, including all six Castle points from the line in the extra session, as the Knights (10-7) conquered the No.6 Stars for the first time since the 2019 regional final. BNL (14-4 and destined to drop from the Class 4A poll) charged back from a seven-point deficit and had the last possession of regulation to escape, but fumbled away a chance at a quality shot. That cost them when Scott converted the game-winning free throws with 2.8 seconds left.
Scott struggled early, hitting only one of 10 shots through three quarters, but she was clutch in the overtime. After Chloe Spreen made two from the line to forge the 55-55 deadlock, Scott went into attack mode from the top of the key and drew a foul in the paint. She didn’t flinch.
“Jordan is growing and maturing,” Castle coach Bob Meier said. “She is understanding she can impact the game in different ways. We like the ball in her hands late, She allowed us to challenge her and she responded.”
BNL, which had only three leads all day, trailed 48-41 midway through the fourth. Madisyn Bailey sparked the comeback with a steal for a layup, converted two free throws, and Miley Sherrill buried a corner trey to a 48-48 tie with 1:56 left. Bailey’s wing bomb gave the Stars a 51-49 advantage with 1:24 left, but Scott came back with a shifty baseline drive for a reverse layup with 51 seconds left. BNL held for the last shot but failed to execute, as a wild Bailey fling was harmless.
In the overtime, Tori Nikirk gave BNL another lead with a layup off a Trinidy Bailey steal. But Scott came back with four straight free throws. Spreen was whacked in the lane with 15.1 left, and she made both, setting the stage for the Scott situation.
“I don’t think we should have been in that position,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “We’re just not playing well right now.
“When we put a string together, we would make a mistake mentally, either defensively or offensively. And I don’t know what the magic pill is for that. We’re making bad decisions at critical times.”
Castle took control quickly as Paiton Mitchell scored seven early points to push the Knights to a 14-8 lead. After the Stars closed to a single possession, Castle rumbled ahead again, powering to a 27-19 edge before Madisyn Bailey banked in a bomb to end the half.
In the third quarter, Castle’s Izabell Grantz (who was averaging only five points over game) exploded for four baskets during a 9-3 burst, powering the Knights to a 36-28 lead. Spreen shouldered the load over the next three minutes, scoring off a lob in the post, dropping a four-footer from the baseline, and adding a 12-footer in the lane. Trinidy Bailey’s trey from the right wing gave BNL its first lead at 39-38 heading to the fourth quarter.
Castle opened the last frame with eight straight points, including back-to-back drives by Scott, for the margin BNL later erased.
“For a minute, we were trying to give this thing away,” Meier said. “It was a good win for us.”
Grantz added 17 points for Castle.
Madisyn Bailey paced BNL with 19 points and Spreen totaled 18.
“I was proud of them for fighting back, being down and on the road,” Allen said. “We hung in there and had a chance. But it’s tough. We have to figure it out.”
BNL will look to rebound when it hosts Columbus East on Tuesday.
BEDFORD NL STARS (55)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
2 Chloe Spreen, f 1-4 6-18 5-8 4 4 18
22 Miley Sherrill, f 1-3 1-3 0-0 6 0 3
24 Madisyn Bailey, g 3-5 6-12 4-4 4 4 19
32 Trinidy Bailey, g 2-2 3-4 0-0 8 2 8
12 Tori Nikirk, g 1-6 3-8 0-0 4 2 7
20 Bella Jackson 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
23 Katie Godlevske 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 8-23 19-48 9-13 28 13 55
CASTLE KNIGHTS (57)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
42 Aleyna Quinn, f 0-1 2-5 3-4 9 1 7
11 Jayden Scott, f 1-3 1-4 2-2 4 3 5
22 Izabell Grantz, f 1-1 8-11 0-0 3 1 17
24 Jordan Scott, g 0-1 5-1`5 7-9 3 3 17
10 Paiton Mitchell, g 1-1 4-6 0-0 2 4 9
12 Emma Sanfilippo 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
14 Jordyn Poelhuis 0-1 1-2 0-0 2 1 2
Totals 3-8 21-43 12-15 24 14 57
Bedford NL 8 14 17 12 4 – 55
Castle 14 13 11 13 6 – 57
Turnovers – BNL 15, Castle 14
Field goal percentage – BNL 19-48 (.395); Castle 21-43 (.488)
Free throw percentage – BNL 9-13 (.692); Castle 12-15 (.800)
