By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
ORLEANS – To those dependent on caffeine or other stimulants to face the day, morning people are just weird creatures. And annoying, with their excessive energy, cheerfulness and chatter, maybe even psychotic. How can their brains and bodies possibly function that early? Hit the snooze button, for goodness sake.
Bedford North Lawrence, wide awake for a rare rise-and-shine start, has proven to be a collection of early birds. That would explain a lot. For the second time this season, the Stars were tasked with answering the alarm at an unholy hour to face a quality opponent. The Stars snagged the worm once again.
Forced to perform not long enough after dawn’s arrival, thanks to the fear of the approaching snowstorm, BNL was ultra-productive on offense, alert on defense, and aggressively annoying larks to Class A No.3 Orleans on Saturday morning. The Stars spoiled Senior Day and ended an impressive winning streak for the Bulldogs with a 61-34 triumph.
Sammie Nusbuam, breaking out of a minor slump, scored 22 points and posted a double-double with 10 rebounds, and the Stars were sizzling from long range, hitting 13 treys. Jordan Blann added 14 points as BNL (16-6) continued its late-season run through ranked opponents with another quality road victory.
This win featured BNL’s best half of basketball this season. The Stars hit eight treys, committed only two turnovers, chased the Bulldogs (17-3) into 11 straight missed shots, didn’t allow a second basket until the four-minute mark of the second quarter, bolted to a 19-3 lead and ultimately a 28-11 advantage at intermission.
BNL hit its productive peak right away. After allowing the first basket, the Stars went on a sensational 22-1 run, hitting five bombs during that blast. Blann and Trinidy Bailey started it. Nusbaum beat the press for a layup, stroked a trey, then rebounded her own miss. Miley Sherrill swished another from deep, Elahdy Ray came off the bench for one, and Nusbaum capped the barrage with a wing rainbow. Orleans, before it rubbed any sleep crust from its eyes, had to be a little shell-shocked.
“When you shoot like that, you look really smart, don’t you?” BNL coach Chase Spreen said.
“We don’t shoot like that every night, but it was fun for the kids. We got good shots because we shared the basketball. We were crisp with our ball movement. Our passing was better, and we put it on the money a little better, which helped us make shots. And when you see a couple go in, it helps with the momentum.”
BNL continued to cruise. Nusbaum’s layup (via a Bailey pinpoint diagonal pass), Sherrill’s fast-break bucket, and Bella Warren’s layup (from another Bailey find) powered the Stars to a 43-19 lead. They got within a possession of triggering the running clock in the fourth quarter (with leads at 58-26 and 61-28) before coasting home.
The Stars hit double digits in treys for the first time since making 10 at Owen Valley. Compare that to a recent 1-for-19 night against Floyd Central. Perhaps every tip time should be in the early A.M.
“I knew, if they hit shots, they could be a very dangerous team,” said Orleans coach Jared Gilbert, a BNL alum. “We tried everything we could think of to take them out of it. You just tip your hat to them, they were the better team today.”
The Bulldogs, with the end of an 11-game winning streak, know what that 1-for-19 feels like. That’s what they shot against the Stars from distance. Callie Alston, the scoring leader at 18.8, with limited to 11, and she only had one basket while BNL blasted to a 37-15 lead midway through the third quarter. Every time she went left, she ran into Bailey.
”Trinidy did a really good job,” Spreen said. “She takes a lot of pride in that, and we appreciate that about her.
”That’s a good team, they have a chance to make a run in Class A. So I thought we played really well, against a good basketball team, on both ends of the floor. Giving up 11 points in that first half, I was really proud of that. Our defense is where it’s been all year.”
Bailey added 8 points and Sherrill totaled 7. Nusbaum awoke from shooting slumber with an 8-of-11 day that included four treys. She had been 1 of her last 8 from long range, and it bothered her.
“I’ve been in a shooting slump. I was frustrated,” Nusbaum said. “It’s going to happen. But we were all hitting today.”
Haylee Dille had 8 points for Orleans.
”Unfortunately we didn’t match their shot making,” Gilbert said. “And they had a lot to do with that. They’re solid defensively, they take you out of what you want to do.
”We missed shots we have been making. Today they weren’t going down, part of that is them defending well. When you put yourself in a hole like that against a good team, it’s hard to dig out. We didn’t have the firepower to do it.”
Both teams will learn their postseason fate on Sunday when the IHSAA announces the sectional pairings. BNL is scheduled to host Silver Creek on Tuesday, with that subject to the impact of the predicted winter storm. Orleans is set to finish the regular season at Mitchell on Thursday.
BEDFORD NL STARS (61)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
23 Sammie Nusbaum, f 4-6 8-11 2-2 10 0 22
22 Miley Sherrill, f 1-4 3-8 0-0 3 4 7
32 Trinidy Bailey, g 2-4 3-7 0-0 5 1 8
21 Jordan Blann, g 4-8 5-10 0-0 3 2 14
11 Paige Burton, g 0-0 1-2 0-1 4 0 2
12 Elahdy Ray 1-4 1-7 0-0 1 1 3
24 Caroline Sheldon 1-2 1-3 0-0 1 0 3
20 Bella Warren 0-0 1-1 0-0 0 0 2
44 Annie Watson 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
31 Audrey Hoffman 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 13-28 23-49 2-3 31 9 61
ORLEANS BULLDOGS (34)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
14 Callie Alston, f 0-4 5-17 1-1 6 3 11
22 Caleigha Alston, f 0-4 1-7 4-6 4 0 6
33 Chelsea Ralph, f 0-7 2-11 0-0 0 2 4
10 Haylee Dille, g 0-1 4-5 0-0 9 1 8
3 Hallie Wolfe, g 1-2 1-2 2-2 1 0 5
12 Elizabeth Mahan 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
21 Kaitlyn Gilstrap 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
40 Kelsey Gilstrap 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
34 Annabelle Fleming 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 1-19 13-44 7-9 26 6 34
Bedford NL 19 9 15 18 – 61
Orleans 3 8 8 15 – 34
Turnovers – BNL 9, Orleans 11
Field goal percentage – BNL 23-49 (.469); Orleans 13-44 (.295)
Free throw percentage – BNL 2-3 (.667); Orleans 7-9 (.778)
