By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
NEW ALBANY – Bitter disappointment has been a rare dish on the Bedford North Lawrence postseason plate. One of the state’s premier programs, with more total banners and trophies than tournament losses in its amazing history, got used to the taste of victory. The Stars always feasted on succulent streak, not tough-to-swallow gristle.
That changed with one stunning upset. For the first time since 2010, BNL went one-and-done in the Class 4A sectional, falling in a semifinal to an opponent with revenge on its mind. New Albany had been a BNL victim for so long, including a blowout earlier this season. The Bulldogs ordered off a different menu.
So this one was super sweet for the Bulldogs, who celebrated with gusto – with students storming the court to embrace their classmates – following a surprising win on their home floor Friday night.
Never trailing, New Albany eliminated BNL with a 48-45 triumph. Gracie Matheny scored 18 points as the Bulldogs (5-18) advanced to the title game to face defending champion Floyd Central. New Albany ended a 13-game losing streak in the series and stopped BNL’s expected drive to a 16th consecutive sectional final.
After suffering a 63-40 loss to the Stars in December, the Bulldogs flipped the script. They bolted to an early lead, survived when BNL battled back to draw even to start the fourth quarter, and pulled away during the final three minutes as the Stars missed multiple shots and chances.
Two critical time spans set the tone. First, Matheny got loose for three jumpers as New Albany zipped to a 16-9 lead in the opening frame, forcing the Stars into chase mode for the duration. Second, after pulling even at 34-34 to end the third quarter, BNL started the final period with four straight turnovers. And never recovered.
”It’s incredibly disappointing,” BNL coach Chase Spreen said. “We feel like we left a lot of things out there. But you have to tip your cap to them, they played really well. They made shots early, Matheny really carried them in the first half, then they had kids step up and make big shots.
“We had a handful of empty possessions we wish we could have back. But that’s not the way it goes.”
Down the hallway from the crestfallen BNL locker room, New Albany celebrated with unbridled joy. The Bulldogs earned it. They had only one win since the calendar flipped to 2026, they had been bounced from the tournament by BNL eight times since 2012. Payback had been a long time coming.
“The biggest thing is keeping the faith, keeping the faith,” New Albany coach Kelsy Taylor said. “I’m a big believer. I put that into my girls, no matter what happened in the season – yeah, we were 4-18. But we’re not a 4-18 team.
”I told them day in and day out. It was always about the sectional, and they trusted in the plan. I’m just so proud of them for sticking together, even through everything.”
BNL’s slog up the hill, looking to climb back from the early deficit, finally gained traction late in the third quarter. Trailing 34-27 following a Matheny steal and drive, the Stars countered with Sammie Nusbaum’s layup off an inbound set, Miley Sherrill’s wing bomb after a Jordan Blann steal, and Sherrill’s layup to created the 34-34 deadlock.
Even after the four empty trips to begin the fourth, BNL stayed in contact as Nusbaum and Sherrill swished treys, the last cutting New Albany’s lead to 42-40 with 3:04 left. But that would be BNL’s last bucket until Trinidy Bailey made a meaningless bomb at the buzzer. New Albany missed 11 free throws in the final quarter but made enough to put BNL away.
In addition to Matheny, Claire Webster had 13 points. Those two guards controlled the momentum.
“They were ready for the moment, they were prepared,” Taylor said. “They just kept believing. Everyone was on the same page.
“Gas pedal, that’s the first thing we say. We have to attack first, we have to set the tone. They were coming on our court, they had already beaten us on our court. We had to have the mindset to not relive that.”
For BNL, Nusbaum totaled 14 points while Sherrill and Bailey had 12 points each. The Stars were only 6 of 14 at the line and got outrebounded 27-21. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story about turning a 23-point loss into a tournament triumph. New Albany’s last win over BNL came during the 2017-18 campaign.
“I didn’t even tell my kids about that,” Taylor said. “Those teams in the past didn’t matter. It was about this team, how we could beat them.”
BNL bowed out with a 16-8 record.
“I’m proud of the kids,” Spreen said. “We can’t lose sight of what they did this year. A lot of teams might have taken things in a different direction, but they were willing to do what it took to win games.
“I feel bad for the seniors. I don’t even think we played that poorly. We missed free throws, missed some open looks. But at the end of the day they had talent, and those talented kids made plays.”
Floyd Central 55, Seymour 20: In the second semifinal, the 10th-ranked Highlanders overwhelmed the Owls while advancing to the championship, triggering the mercy-rule finish late in the fourth quarter.
Elise Coleman had 17 points for the Highlanders (21-3).
BEDFORD NL STARS (45)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
23 Sammie Nusbaum, f 3-8 4-12 3-4 5 2 14
22 Miley Sherrill, f 2-4 5-8 0-2 7 5 12
32 Trinidy Bailey, g 1-1 5-6 1-4 1 0 12
21 Jordan Blann, g 0-2 0-3 0-0 2 0 0
11 Paige Burton, g 0-1 0-2 2-4 2 3 2
12 Elahdy Ray 1-4 2-5 0-0 4 5 5
24 Caroline Sheldon 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 7-20 16-36 6-14 21 15 45
NEW ALBANY BULLDOGS (48)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
33 Emily Spainhour, f 1-1 3-4 2-2 5 5 8
32 Jaelynn Huggins, c 0-0 0-1 2-2 6 2 2
5 Gracie Matheny, g 2-4 6-11 4-8 1 1 18
4 Claire Webster, g 1-3 3-9 6-8 4 3 13
14 Alyviah Lewis-Redd, g 1-3 1-3 0-2 4 1 3
44 Chloe Bekol 0-0 2-4 0-4 5 3 4
10 Bailey Belden 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 5-11 15-32 13-25 27 15 48
Bedford NL 11 7 16 11 – 45
New Albany 17 6 11 14 – 48
Turnovers – BNL 13, New Albany 11
Field goal percentage – BNL 16-36 (.444); New Albany 15-32 (.469)
Free throw percentage – BNL 6-14 (.429); New Albany 13-25 (.520)
FLOYD CENTRAL 55, SEYMOUR 20
Floyd Central (21-3) – Elise Coleman 17, Brinley Clark 6, Mia Gianfagna 2, Riley Roberts 8, Ava Casteel 7, Lyla Jenks 2, Hannah Cardwell 3, Jadyn Drury 4, Mya Bryan 6
Seymour (6-18) – Sophie Skidmore 5, Claire Skaggs 3, Kelsea Hunsley 2, Emmy Munson 3, Abby OPtte 2, Emmy Followell 2, Banesa Sebastian Juan 3.
