By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
COLUMBUS – If all good things must come to an end, conversely, so too must the bad. For the first time in a month, which seemed like an eternity, Bedford North Lawrence celebrated a victory.
Facebook fact checkers and English teachers would disagree, but relief was spelled with a W as the Stars ended a historic seven-game losing streak. For one brief burst, with a second-quarter eruption of excellence, BNL discovered an offensive power surge. That didn’t last, but it was more than enough.
With Miley Sherrill doing the most damage, the Stars conquered Columbus East 45-32 on Tuesday night. Sherrill scored 17 points as BNL (5-12) continued its quest for a Hoosier Hills Conference title. BNL is now locked in a traffic jam at the top of the league race. Four teams have one league loss, and the Stars still control their own destiny in their surprising bid for the crown.
Putting the losing streak aside was the more pressing issue at the moment. BNL did that with an impressive run to end the first half. The second half, littered with missed shots and turnovers, was not the finest hour. However, the triumph trumped the loss of style points.
“It was huge for us, just from a confidence standpoint,” BNL coach Greg Burton said. “We just needed to see the ball go in, so it was a good first half.
“We were aggressive. We’re so much better when we’re aggressive, offensively and defensively. It showed in the second quarter. You get that momentum going, adrenaline gets pumping, and things start going better. It started clicking. I really liked the execution. And it helps a lot when the ball goes in.“
If BNL could bottle and clone the second quarter, it would make millions. The Stars started that period with a tenuous 11-7 lead and concluded it with a 20-point advantage. They exploded for 20 points during the quarter, the most production since ripping Mitchell for 28 in the opening stanza of that win.
Sherrill started it with a wing trey, Makaya Jackson dropped a six-footer in the paint, and Jordynn Blann pulled up for an open bomb. BNL scored the final 12 points of the half as Jackson converted a layup off a Trinidy Bailey pass, Tori Nikirk streaked to a breakaway layup, and Bailey swished a deep jumper. Nikirk turned a steal into a bucket, and Sherrill capped the run with a corner trey at the buzzer for a 31-11 lead.
“We needed a win bad,” Sherrill said. “Coming into this game, we knew we would have the upper hand to win. But we still had to fight hard.
“Whenever we share the ball, we’re a really good basketball team. And when shots go in, that helps a lot.”
The Stars extended to their biggest lead at 35-11 before the Olympians (1-15) responded. BNL was never in real danger, but the Stars hit only 1 of 12 shots in the third quarter and committed 9 turnovers in the fourth. That sloppiness was unfortunate.
Despite the stumbling, BNL had reasons to smile. Sherrill was the catalyst, hitting double digits for only the second time since the skid started.
“We rely on her to do a lot,” Burton said. “And she’s been pretty good for us. She’s been really consistent, and I’m proud of her.”
Nikirk finished with 9 points and Bailey grabbed 9 rebounds.
Kimberley Carothers paced the Olympians with 14 points while Ella Anthis added 10. East, which celebrated its Pink Out night to raise funds for the battle against breast cancer, hit only 11 of 41 shots and had 22 turnovers.
BNL will continue the HHC chase on Thursday, hosting Jennings County. The Panthers helped create the one-loss logjam in the league race with a 48-43 victory over Floyd Central.
BEDFORD NL STARS (45)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
22 Miley Sherrill, f 2-3 5-11 5-6 3 4 17
30 Makaya Jackson, f 0-0 2-2 1-4 3 2 5
32 Trinidy Bailey, g 1-3 2-8 1-1 9 3 6
12 Tori Nikirk, g 1-5 4-10 0-0 1 4 9
21 Jordynn Blann, g 1-2 1-3 0-0 2 1 3
23 Katie Godlevske 1-4 1-6 0-0 2 0 3
24 Elise Williams 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
20 Paige Burton 0-1 0-2 0-0 0 1 0
11 Trinity Schmeichel 0-0 0-1 2-2 0 0 2
50 Harryson Hayes 0-0 0-2 0-0 3 0 0
44 Sammie Nusbaum 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
31 Carsyn Amburgey 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
40 Elahdy Ray 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 6-18 15-45 9-13 29 15 45
COLUMBUS EAST OLYMPIANS (32)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
5 Kimberley Carothers, f 2-7 4-11 4-5 7 2 14
45 Averie Graham, f 0-1 1-3 0-0 3 3 2
1 Kenzie Cheek, g 0-8 2-16 0-2 7 2 4
3 Ella Anthis, g 2-5 3-8 2-2 1 2 10
33 Ellie Schlaudroff, g 0-0 0-1 0-0 3 3 0
30 Lucy Ross 0-0 0-0 0-0 4 2 0
15 Jaydalynn Hampton 0-0 1-1 0-0 2 0 2
Totals 4-21 11-41 6-9 30 14 32
Bedford NL 11 20 4 10 – 45
Col. East 7 4 10 11 – 32
Turnovers – BNL 21, East 22
Field goal percentage – BNL15-45 (.333); East 11-41 (.268)
Free throw percentage – BNL 9-13 (.692); East 6-9 (.667)
