By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – With one chance to make a first impression, Bedford North Lawrence unveiled its rebuilt foundation, showcasing the possible future during the annual intrasquad scrimmage, the public forum that allows a glimpse of growth, changes and potential.
Looking good is not the concern. That’s difficult when everyone on the floor, and even some of the knowledgeable and curious in the bleachers, knows the sets and personnel tendencies. Surprises in this format are rare. That’s why the Stars raised a few eyebrows during their three-quarter workout on Thursday night.
Yes, the expected veterans stood out, showing a year’s improvement from last season. But in case they get too comfortable, with a roster that includes only two seniors, some of the next generation made the most of their debuts, announcing their bids for playing time and greater roles. Competitors rise to challenges.
First-year head coach Chase Spreen divvied the roster into talent-even squads for two quarters. The White squad dominated the man-to-man period by a 13-2 count, then the Red bounced back for a 16-11 decision against zone defenses. In the final frame, with the projected starters pitted against the second unit, the Red prevailed 12-4, as it should.
Amidst all that scrambling, BNL found some weapons, some with experience and some with fresh, fearless faces.
Jordan Blann, the left-hander with moxie, scored 15 points, all from 3-point range. Sammie Nusbaum, ready to make the jump to varsity competition, totaled 13 points, and veteran Miley Sherrill added 9. All three will play significant roles when the 2025-26 campaign gets underway.
The surprises came from the sophomore class, with Caroline Sheldon totaling 8 points, with Elahdy Ray adding 7.
“Everybody is familiar with the upperclassmen, with Miley and Trinidy (Bailey),” Spreen said. “They will play big roles for us this year, and Sammie has come along and been pretty consistent.
”The kid that jumped out, that would be a real difference maker for us, is Elahdy Ray. She had a good showing. She had some mental errors, but she’s getting it. It was understanding the consistency you have to play with, the urgency and effort side. Another kid was Caroline Sheldon. I was excited to see her make some shots. She’s starting to understand, and it’s helping her decisiveness.”
Blann was bombing in the first two quarters, hitting all five of her treys during that span. Nusbaum showed versatility with jumpers from the lane and her own bomb from the wing. Sherrill closed the final quarter with a scoring surge that included a drive through the paint and a layup off an inbound set.
“When you’re doing these scrimmages, it’s so hard, from an execution standpoint,” Spreen said. “Nobody knows you better than you do. We were focused on the effort, the urgency, doing their best to execute certain things. You might not get the shot you were looking for, but we wanted to see execution.
“Jordan can go nuclear on any given night. When she gets going, you have to find ways to get her looks. We will find ways, and if she can knock them down, she will be a huge difference. When she sees them go in, she can shoot with the best of them.”
BNL will continue its preseason work during the IHSAA sanctioned scrimmage at Columbus North on Tuesday. Then it’s a very short turnaround to the season opener. There is work to do until then.
”We saw good things,” Spreen said. “The kids played hard. Some of them are still getting their legs under them. But overall I was happy with what we saw.
“We have to take better care of the ball in transition, we will always harp on execution. We want to play all 32 minutes at the level of effort we expect. We will have nights when we don’t make shots, but I want to make sure we’re really good at what we do.”
BNL will open the season at Sullivan on Nov. 6, just 48 hours following the last scrimmage.
WHITE 35, RED 23
Red – Sammie Nusbaum 13, Trinidy Bailey 2, Caroline Sheldon 8
White – Jordan Blann 15, Miley Sherrill 9, Elahdy Ray 7, Paige Burton 4
