By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – For the first time in his brief, four-game coaching career, Chase Spreen spewed a little halftime venom. He’s undoubtedly heard it before, as a player and assistant coach, but now he was the angry author. What happens in that sanctuary is supposed to remain in the inner sanctum, but perhaps Spreen recorded it for future reference.
Because it worked. The message just didn’t bounce off the walls or fall on thorny ground, it was received by open and honest hearts. The return on the emotional investment was immediate, bringing forth fruit.
Following the brimstone intermission sermon, Bedford North Lawrence unleashed fire on Mitchell, scorching the Bluejackets with a six-minute run of torment. That fiery furnace was inescapable as the Stars torched Mitchell 51-17 in the renewal of the county rivalry on Saturday night.
After a lackluster first half, BNL exploded for 22 straight points to begin the second, triggering the running clock for a mercy-rule conclusion. Paige Burton paced a balanced attack with 12 points as the Stars (4-0) conquered Mitchell for the 16th straight time in the series.
Perhaps the Stars were guilty of taking the outcome for granted. That’s a common sin at every level of competition. But not an acceptable transgression. BNL got called out following a mediocre performance of quickly launched treys and missed layups. “He really got on us,” Burton said. Repentance means a change of ways, and the Stars definitely did that.
The devastating run included four offensive-rebound baskets, two bombs and two breakaways off turnovers. Burton’s layup after Jordan Blann’s steal was the launch point for the mercy rule with a 44-9 lead with 3:26 left in the third quarter.
“The only thing that changed was their approach,” Spreen said. “We came out flat, and part of that is on me from the standpoint of mentality and being ready. We were pretty hard on the kids at halftime, for them to take responsibility for the way things started. They responded to the challenge we made, holding ourselves to the standards.”
The start was a struggle. BNL broke out to a 7-0 lead, capped by Miley Sherrill’s three-point play, in the first three minutes, then drifted into a malaise. Mitchell (1-3) ended the first quarter with Raylee Thompson’s 12-footer on the baseline and two Ava Woods free throws to stay within 12-6 range.
BNL slogged ahead, with Burton scoring in transition, with Trinidy Bailey converting a steal into points, with Bella Warren slashing to a layup. But the entire half was marred by shooting woes (1 of 14 from long range, many off one pass rather than a dissection of the defense) and noticeable lack of enthusiasm for the task.
“We were very frustrated,” Burton said. “We weren’t hitting anything. Our sense of urgency wasn’t there.”
Cue the speech, cue the eruption. Burton was the catalyst with two offensive rebounds, Blann swished a corner bomb, Sherrill and Sammie Nusbaum dug out second-chance points, Bailey broke open off an inbound, and Blann buried another trey. The Bluejackets did not answer until Woods scored from the paint at the 2:11 mark.
“We had trouble initiating offense, but we preach effort, energy and communication,” Mitchell coach Dakota Brasher said. “And we were locked in together in the first half. In the second half, our energy let down. BNL did some really good things, credit to them. They came out with more energy, more effort. Our girls came out a little flat. That’s the name of the game, energy and effort. That’s why they went on that run.“
BNL deployed multiple threats, with Sherrill, Bailey and Blann all scoring 9 points, with Nusbaum totaling 8. With Mitchell sinking back into a zone, BNL played through Nusbaum in the middle, and she found open teammates.
“We always want to get the ball in the middle of the floor, and Sammie did a really good job of making the right read, getting the ball where it was supposed to go,” Spreen said. “You always want middle touches, and you want someone in there you trust to make good plays.”
Thompson and Woods had 6 points each for Mitchell, which was guilty of 20 turnovers (8 in the third quarter) and hit only 6 of 26 shots.
“We really got after them defensively,” Spreen said. “The kids were flying around and making plays.”
“I’m proud of our girls,” Brasher said. “The scoreboard might not show it, but we played hard. That’s something to be proud of.”
BNL also posted a 35-21 rebounding edge, with Nusbaum and Bailey grabbing 7 each, as the Stars won their home opener.
“At the end of the day, the kids have done a good job of showing up, being ready to go, wanting to improve,” Spreen said.
Mitchell will return home to host Loogootee on Tuesday. That same night, BNL will face a tough challenge, hosting Class 4A No.7 Bloomington South.
MITCHELL BLUEJACKETS (17)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
15 Abigail Fountain, f 0-0 0-1 0-0 1 2 0
11 Raylee Thompson, g 0-1 3-7 0-0 1 4 6
1 Paisley Modglin, g 0-3 0-3 0-0 1 0 0
2 Leighann Thompson, g 0-1 0-1 0-2 2 1 0
5 Asiah Saunders, g 0-0 0-1 0-0 6 2 0
3 Ava Woods 0-2 1-6 4-4 5 0 6
0 Hailee Hall 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
20 Raylee Blackwell 0-4 0-4 1-2 3 0 1
4 Gwendolyn Eastridge 0-1 2-3 0-0 0 1 4
40 KayLynn Kohlhaas 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 0-12 6-26 5-8 21 11 17
BEDFORD NL STARS (51)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
23 Sammie Nusbaum, f 0-2 3-9 2-2 7 1 8
22 Miley Sherrill, f 0-3 4-10 1-1 4 3 9
32 Trinidy Bailey, g 1-5 4-11 0-0 7 4 9
21 Jordan Blann, g 3-9 3-9 0-0 2 0 9
11 Paige Burton, g 0-0 6-8 0-0 5 1 12
12 Elahdy Ray 0-4 0-5 0-0 1 3 0
24 Caroline Sheldon 0-1 1-2 0-0 3 1 2
31 Audrey Hoffman 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 2 0
20 Bella Warren 0-1 1-3 0-0 1 0 2
44 Annie Watson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 4-25 22-57 3-3 35 15 51
Mitchell 6 3 4 4 – 17
Bedford NL 12 10 27 2 – 51
Turnovers – Mitchell 20, BNL 6
Field goal percentage – Mitchell 6-26 (.231); BNL 22-57 (.386)
Free throw percentage – Mitchell 5-8 (.625); BNL 3-3 (1.000)
