By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
AUSTIN – Mountaineers embody the human spirit of conquering the greatest challenges. When asked why he wanted to scale Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, George Mallory stated the famous quote “Because it is there.”
Bedford North Lawrence had to find a way to climb over one huge obstacle during its Eagle Classic finale. Springs Valley center Jordyn Land, the most talented 6-0 center the Stars have battled this season, posed a danger. Just like the Everest ascent, one slip could have meant doom.
The Stars reached the peak, planting their flag to claim fifth place in the 12-team tournament on Tuesday afternoon. With balanced offense and exquisite execution, BNL rappelled to a 57-52 win over the Blackhawks. Trinidy Bailey was the safety rope with 18 points (most during an impressive second half) as the Stars (11-4) capped the four-game event with their best offensive attack of the tournament.
Springs Valley, ranked No.9 in Class A, couldn’t slow down BNL’s arsenal of shooters. The Stars couldn’t handle Land, who grabbed more rebounds (14) than BNL’s entire team (13). Valley (11-4) had more offensive rebounds (17) than its field-goal total. That kept BNL from pulling away.
But every time the Stars needed a shot, they made a big one. The moments created bursts or stopped Valley runs.
The first tier on the climb was Miley Sherrill’s three transition baskets for a 20-12 lead early in the second quarter. Sammie Nusbuam buried two treys for a 28-16 advantage, then swished another after the Blackhawks scrambled within 28-26 late in the half.
Bailey went to work in the paint in the third quarter during the next key stage, scoring three times for a 37-30 lead. After Valley’s Maci Eckerty banked home a bomb that powered the Hawks within 37-36, Bailey blasted to the rim on a baseline drive, then converted Elahdy Ray’s fast-break pass into a bucket. Sherrill slashed to a 3-point play, and Bailey heaved home an off-balance shot at the third-quarter buzzer for a 46-39 lead.
When Nusbaum opened the fourth with two more treys, the Stars were on their way to the summit. Paige Burton’s layup gave BNL its largest margin at 56-41 with 2:12 left, although Valley made the descent a little harrowing with a final surge as the Stars continued to launch without regard to time and situation.
”They played to the end,” BNL coach Chase Spreen said. “We have to be a little bit smarter in late-game situations. I really like their team a lot. They will win a lot of games, they will have a chance to make a run.”
Bailey was 7 of 9 from the floor, all in the second half. Nusbaum totaled 17 points, and Sherrill added 14 as the Stars hit 21 of 42 shots, quite a contrast from the first two games of the event. BNL also limited turnovers to five. The Stars had only 11 combined in the two games during the second day, compared to 22 in the win over Lanesville.
“We found an advantage with Trinidy and tried to go at it,” Spreen said. “Jordan (Blann) had her moments, Sammie had her moments. That’s what it will take, the balance we have. That makes us so dangerous.
“Coming into this, I was pretty anxious about how this would go, four games in two days. All 10 kids stepped in at some point and did a nice job, helped us win games. It was a good day, two wins against two really good teams.“
“I don’t think we got out to their shooters as well as we should have,” Valley coach Marty Niehaus said. “I thought they did a good job of executing their offense.”
Land was sensational inside with 20 points. Gracie Breedlove had 16 points and Eckerty totaled 11. Land was like Bounty paper towels, she cleaned up any mess inside. Because she was there.
“Land is not just big and strong, she has quick feet and good hands,” Spreen said. “For us, it was a huge mountain to climb.”
“Jordyn had a nice game,” Niehaus said. “She seemed to get in good rebounding position and held her ground. It was good to see her raise her level of aggressiveness.”
BNL will now flip the calendar with three straight victories and six wins in the last seven games.
“I’m proud of them,” Spreen said. “I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve accomplished so far. But we didn’t come here to go 11-4, we have other goals in mind. We just need to keep stacking wins, stacking days to get better.”
The Stars will start the final month of the regular season on Saturday, hosting Evansville North.
BEDFORD NL STARS (57)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
23 Sammie Nusbaum, f 5-9 5-10 2-2 4 2 2 17
22 Miley Sherrill, f 0-3 6-14 2-3 4 3 14
32 Trinidy Bailey, g 0-0 7-9 4-4 3 2 18
21 Jordan Blann, g 2-3 2-3 0-0 1 2 6
11 Paige Burton, g 0-0 1-2 0-1 0 3 2
12 Elahdy Ray 0-2 0-3 0-0 0 3 0
24 Caroline Sheldon 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 7-18 21-42 8-10 13 15 57
SPRINGS VALLEY BLACKHAWKS (52)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
10 Josie Robison, f 0-0 0-1 0-0 6 2 0
21 Gracie Breedlove, f 0-3 4-11 8-8 3 3 16
44 Jordyn Land, c 0-0 7-12 6-7 14 3 20
12 Maci Eckerty, g 3-4 3-12 2-4 6 3 11
14 Kynleigh Dalton, g 1-3 1-3 0-0 0 1 3
22 Kenna McNeely 0-0 0-0 1-2 2 2 1
32 Kadee McGuire 0-0 0-2 1-2 4 2 1
Totals 4-10 15-41 18-23 35 16 62
Bedford NL 14 17 15 11 – 57
Springs Valley 12 14 13 13 – 52
Turnovers – BNL 5, Springs Valley 12
Field goal percentage – BNL 21-42 (.500); Springs Valley 15-41 (.366)
Free throw percentage – BNL 8-10 (.800); Springs Valley 18-23 (.783)
