By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
GALENA – Caught as a surprised innocent bystander in a whirlwind of chaos, Bedford North Lawrence got sucked into the turbulence. When the storm finally settled, the damage was stunning.
While Floyd Central reeled from the news of midseason regime change, the suspension of its head coach as the villain in the theatre of the absurd, the adversity acted as a rallying cry for the Highlanders. The fresh start rejuvenated a struggling team, and the Stars were not ready for the reaction.
Floyd’s path could have gone two ways: collapse into self-pity, or the rise above the fray. The Highlanders chose the latter, stunning BNL with a second-half comeback and a most memorable win for a program that needed resuscitation.
Down by 11 in the third quarter, trailing by seven in the fourth, Floyd fought back to upset BNL 61-58 on Thursday night. Landon Reed scored 20 points, including clutch moments in the final 35 seconds, as the Highlanders (4-13) ended their slide into despair with a triumph that was celebrated with the students rushing to midcourt for a great group hug. Those are usually reserved for postseason wins. For a team that had lost 11 of its last 12 games, it had the same feel.
The day started with the school announcing the suspension of head coach Fonso White, with assistant Mikel Miller taking over as the interim. It ended with a dramatic victory at BNL’s expense. The Stars (8-8) suffered their third straight loss, with this one stinging the most.
On Thursday afternoon, the school suspended White for the remainder of the season. White, in his second year with the program, was punished “due to his violation of school district policy, as well as continued concerns over the leadership and accountability with the boys program,” according to a press release from superintendent Travis Madison. According to multiple sources, team members boycotted two practice sessions earlier in the week, the revolt leading to this unfortunate conclusion. White was 12-27 overall before being relieved of his duties.
When BNL rolled to a 36-25 lead early in the second half, it seemed the change had not fostered the desired result. When BNL took a 50-43 advantage in the fourth quarter, the feel-good story was about to be edited and erased. Then Fate intervened. Passion was the catalyst, and the Stars were flat-footed in their response.
“It shows a lot of what they’re made of, to work their way through that, navigate through the week, then play really hard and really well,” said Miller, who coached at Lanesville for 23 seasons before joining the Floyd staff last season, only to get thrust into the spotlight. “We weren’t perfect, but we made some plays when we needed to make some plays.
“The record is what it is. But a good team, with good players, that’s how they find a way to win out there. And that’s what we did.”
Here’s how Floyd won. Trailing 53-48, Parker Kays swished a trey. Camden Harritt swiped the ball from BNL’s Patric Matson and rifled a pass to Sam Higgins for a thunderous, rim-hanging slam and 53-53 deadlock. Matson answered with a tip-in basket, but Kays came back with a corner bomb for a 56-55 lead with 1:30 left. After BNL’s Isaiah Sasser missed two free throws, Reed hit the dagger shot, a wing bomb for a 59-55 lead with 32 seconds left.
BNL’s Dax Short countered with a trey with 16 seconds remaining, and Reed was sent to the line with 10.4 left. He made both, and BNL’s last chance ended with a turnover, sparking the emotional midcourt scene.
“In the last quarter, they played harder than we did,” BNL coach Kurt Godlevske said. “They played like they wanted to win it, and we didn’t. When we needed to execute a play down the stretch, we broke away from that. Made some mental mistakes.
“They made plays, and we didn’t. Those are individualistic plays that basketball players have to make. The ones that want to win do.”
BNL had two excellent bursts. The first came midway through the second quarter. Quincy Pickett popped a corner trey, Short dropped a 12-footer in the paint and drove the lane for a layup, and Logan Miracle scored off a hook in the post for a 26-18 advantage. The next came in the opening minutes of the third quarter as Matson scored off a steal, Pickett swished a wing bomb, and Miracle converted a 3-point play for the 36-25 lead.
Floyd was sensational after that. The Highlanders made 14 of 24 shots in the second half, didn’t commit a turnover in that span, and scored four times off offensive rebounds.
“I don’t know if we got a 50-50 ball all night,” said Godlevske, who was hobbling on crutches with a sore knee, and that pain probably intensified after the result. “I’m more disappointed defensively. Offensively, we were great all night, moved the ball and shared the ball. Defensively, we were not very good.”
Matson finished with 22 points, Short totaled 14 and Pickett added 11. Miracle grabbed 9 rebounds, and the Stars were guilty of only 8 turnovers. But they were a miserable 3 of 9 at the foul line.
In addition to the Reed production, Carter McQuigg had 18 points and Higgins totaled 13. His dunk was the final spark.
“That was another energy play,” Miller said. “The kids erupted off that. Whether you’re the dunker or the people watching, everybody feeds off that energy. There was a lot of emotion, a lot of fire, a lot of fight. All that energy helped propel the kids.
“I don’t think the kids felt any pressure. They didn’t play like it. They were relaxed and ready to roll.” And what did the win mean for the program after all the drama? “It means we showed a lot of fight and a lot of grit. We hit some big shots. Give our kids some credit.”
BNL (now 1-4 in the Hoosier Hills Conference) will look to rebound when it faces Scottsburg on Tuesday.
BEDFORD NL STARS (58)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
5 Dax Short, f 2-5 6-11 0-2 4 0 14
22 Isaiah Sasser, f 0-0 1-3 0-2 1 2 2
31 Logan Miracle, c 0-0 3-7 2-3 9 4 8
10 Patric Matson, g 2-5 10-15 0-0 5 2 22
3 Quincy Pickett, g 3-9 4-10 0-0 4 1 11
12 Jacob Ritter 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 1 0
24 Gibson Crane 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 3 0
4 Parker Kern 0-1 0-1 1-2 1 0 1
23 Tyler Stigall 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 7-23 24-47 3-9 25 13 58
FLOYD CENTRAL HIGHLANDERS (61)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
23 Carter McQuigg, f 0-2 8-15 2-5 4 1 18
33 Sam Higgins, f 1-3 5-8 2-2 7 1 13
4 Parker Kays, g 2-4 3-5 0-0 3 0 8
13 Landon Reed, g 5-12 6-13 3-4 5 2 20
22 Jaxon Stone, g 0-1 0-1 0-0 2 4 0
11 Camden Harritt 0-0 1-3 0-0 4 2 2
14 Macon Simpson 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 8-23 23-46 7-11 27 10 61
Bedford NL 15 13 17 13 – 58
Floyd Central 11 12 18 20 – 61
Turnovers – BNL 8, Floyd 6
Field goal percentage – BNL 24-47 (.511); Floyd 23-46 (.500)
Free throw percentage – BNL 3-9 (.333); Floyd 7-11 (.636)
