By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – The clock cannot be rewound. If time travel were truly possible, Bedford North Lawrence would journey back a year for a do-over, replaying the loss that cost the Stars the outright Hoosier Hills Conference title.
They had to settle for today, a do-it-all vengeance win that will have to suffice. The sense of satisfaction could be felt as BNL crushed Floyd Central to finish its HHC run.
Chloe McKnight, with her inner voice assuring her of success, roasted the Highlanders with seven 3-pointers – her second straight sensational performance from distance – as No.14 BNL blasted the Highlanders 71-28 on Saturday afternoon.
McKnight totaled 24 points, Irye Gomez added 14, and BNL finished its part of the league race with a 6-1 mark. Now the Stars (14-4) will wait to see what injury-depleted Jeffersonville can do next week. The Red Devils, minus their two best players, have two tests remaining.
This was not a test. The Stars, growling for revenge of last year’s stunning loss at Floyd, ripped to a 17-2 lead and kept snarling.
“We all wanted it,” McKnight said. “We were tired of hearing how they beat us last year.”
Won’t be, and shouldn’t be, mentioned again, not after posting the biggest margin of victory in series history. The upset echoes were silenced.
McKnight and Gomez drilled two treys each as the Stars raced to a 22-5 lead after the first quarter, and everyone got in the act during a remarkable third period as BNL hit 8 of its first 9 shots and roared to a 60-25 advantage.
“We’re playing well,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “And I thought it was a really good defensive effort. They’re really good with spreading the floor and the backdoor cuts, and we made it difficult for them.
“We continue to get better. I just like our effort, our demeanor, we’re playing with confidence. It’s been good.”
Nobody is oozing more confidence than McKnight. She torched Columbus East for 7 treys and a career-high 33 points on Tuesday, and often a letdown follows. No this time. She was a white-hot 7-of-8 from long range, and her two-game binge (14 of 17) has raised her season sniping to an unearthly 47 percent. Might want to guard the girl.
“I feel a lot more confidence since I’ve been making them,” McKnight said. “When I shoot it, I tell myself it’s going in. And it does.”
If only it were always that easy. Just think it, and it happens.
“It’s her maturity, not only making shots but understanding there are other ways to get open and get looks,” Allen said. “Her game has really evolved, and the kids play with confidence from that.”
Gomez had 12 in the first half, Madison Webb finished with 8 points, 8 boards and 3 blocks, Jenna Louden buried a trey and totaled a season-high 7 points. Everyone had a hand on the 43-point victory, eclipsing the 75-36 win over Floyd two seasons ago.
“We all play really well as a team and we have developed more and more,” McKnight said. “We just keep getting better.”
Floyd Central (5-13, 0-6 in the HHC) got 14 points from Mandy Hess off the bench.
Was it good enough for a piece of the prize? BNL will now wait to see Jeffersonville’s fate against Seymour (Tuesday) and New Albany (Friday). BNL, which shared the HHC crown with the Red Devils because of that Floyd loss last season, would also like to rewind the clock to the Nov. 23 home loss to the Devils, when an 18-point lead was squandered. Can’t do that either.
”If that one loss costs us the championship, so be it,” Allen said. “They beat us and we can’t do anything about that. If we sneak in there, it will be great. We’re a different team now, we’re playing much better basketball.”
BNL, which extended its current wining streak to 7 straight (and 11 in a row against in-state competition) will visit North Harrison on Thursday.
FLOYD CENTRAL HIGHLANDERS (28)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
22 Laney Siewert, f 0-0 0-0 0-0 4 0 0
11 Keegan Kaiser, g 1-6 2-15 1-4 9 4 6
3 Kalissa Fosskuhl, g 0-1 0-3 0-0 2 1 0
15 Kendall Brown, g 1-3 1-8 0-0 0 1 3
10 Sophie Gasaway, g 1-3 2-6 0-0 0 1 5
35 Hallie Mosier 0-0 0-0 0-0 3 0 0
14 Mandy Hess 2-5 6-11 0-0 0 1 14
12 Madi Wood 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
30 Peyton Kochert 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
32 Kennedy Emerson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
44 Natalya Gaines 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 5-18 11-43 1-4 20 8 28
BEDFORD NL STARS (71)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
22 Irye Gomez, f 2-4 6-9 0-1 4 2 14
32 Madison Webb, c 0-1 4-7 0-0 8 0 8
11 Chloe McKnight, g 7-8 7-9 3-4 5 1 24
24 Gracie Crulo-Rood, g 0-1 1-3 1-2 5 0 3
21 Karsyn Norman, g 1-4 2-6 0-0 2 1 5
23 Jenna Louden 1-1 3-5 0-0 1 0 7
40 Haley Deckard 0-0 3-4 0-0 2 0 6
20 Carlee Kern 0-0 1-1 2-2 3 1 4
44 Grace Kinser 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 1 0
Totals 11-19 27-46 6-9 34 6 71
Floyd Central 5 10 10 3 – 28
Bedford NL 22 14 24 11 – 71
Turnovers – FC 8, BNL 5
Field goal percentage – FC 11-43 (.256); BNL 27-46 (.587)
Free throw percentage – FC 1-4 (.250); BNL 6-9 (.667)
