By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Ever feel like the greyhound chasing the mechanical hare? Those poor dogs, no matter how much energy they expend in the chase, never do catch that fake rascally rabbit. Bedford North Lawrence can sympathize with the frustration.
After allowing Scottsburg a red-hot head start, the Stars couldn’t catch up. No matter how close they got, the Warriors were always a stride ahead. For BNL, that meant another step backward.
The scouting report on Scottsburg warned of dangerous shooters from long range, and it proved deadly accurate as the Warriors blasted to a 65-52 triumph on Tuesday night. Jarin Luttrell swished six treys and totaled 22 points as Scottsburg (11-8) soared to its third straight win, denying BNL’s bid for back-to-back victories.
Coming off a school-record performance of 18 bonus bombs at South Central, Scottsburg buried 12 more from distance, the bulk coming in the first half as the Warriors cruised to a double-digit lead. In the second half, BNL (5-11) scrambled within one possession three times. Each time, the rally fizzled. Scottsburg never trailed, leading from starting gate to finish line.
“We were a day late and a dollar short,” BNL coach Jackson Ryan said. “Every time we got within a possession, we would turn it over or they would hit a timely shot. You have to give credit, where credit is due, to them. They stepped up and knocked down shots.”
Scottsburg was not hard to figure out. Luttrell didn’t take a shot inside the bonus arc. The Warriors launched 36 total from that line. Every time the Stars relaxed, or left a shooter alone, or failed to attack the open man and force a drive rather than allow a jumper, they paid.
The first quarter set the tone. Luttrell stroked two, Garrett Boling muscled home a rebound, and Caleb Salas dropped another from deep for a quick 16-7 lead. Scottsburg opened the second quarter with three more bombs for a 25-14 advantage, and Luttrell started the second half with his sixth for a 34-22 advantage.
When the Stars finally adjusted, they cut into the deficit. Easton Moore snatched a loose ball for a trey, Gibson Crane scored off a Dax Short pass, and Parker Kern slashed the lane for a reverse layup that got BNL within 34-31. The last time the Stars got that close was 47-45 on a Short tip. But BNL was guilty of three straight turnovers, and Scottsburg pulled away with a Boling trey, Braden Cox’s transition layup, and Jaxon Owens’ corner jumper for a 55-45 lead that would be safe from the pursuit.
“We dug ourselves a hole, trying and trying to come back,” Ryan said. “But when you give guys, as skilled and talented as they are, good opportunities, they will make you pay.”
Scottsburg, with head coach Eric Richardson absent from the sideline because of a business function, got additional offense from Boling (14 points) and Owens (13).
“Our guys are playing with a lot of confidence,” Scottsburg assistant Dustin Marshall said. “We knew Bedford was a good defensive team, but if we got some reversals and were patient, those are shots we knock down. That got us rolling.
“We found a way to get a couple of stops, a couple of buckets. That’s what I’m most proud of. To answer, on the road, was phenomenal.”
Short paced BNL with 20 points, Kern totaled 12, and Jace Richardson had 7 off the bench.
BNL will visit Jeffersonville on Friday night. The home date with Martinsville, originally set for Saturday, has been moved to Tuesday.
SCOTTSBURG WARRIORS (65)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
4 Garrett Boling, f 1-7 5-13 3-3 4 2 14
11 Caiden Boswell, f 0-2 2-5 1-2 5 0 5
14 Jarin Luttrell, g 6-12 6-12 4-4 4 3 22
3 Braden Cox, g 0-3 3-6 0-0 4 3 6
12 Jaxon Owens, g 4-7 4-8 1-4 4 1 13
2 Caleb Salas 1-3 1-3 0-0 2 0 3
32 Bennett Pearcy 0-2 0-2 2-2 2 0 2
Totals 12-36 21-49 11-15 26 9 65
BEDFORD NL STARS (52)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
24 Gibson Crane, f 0-0 2-7 -12 7 1 5
10 Easton Moore, f 2-3 2-4 0-0 0 0 6
5 Dax Short, g 1-3 5-11 9-10 3 3 20
1 Parker Kern, g 0-2 6-12 0-0 2 2 12
2 Driven Axsom, g 0-1 1-3 0-0 5 5 2
11 Jace Nicholson 1-3 3-5 0-0 2 0 7
40 Ben Conner 0-0 0-1 0-0 2 1 0
12 Dayson Kirby 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
Totals 4-12 19-43 10-12 25 14 52
Scottsburg 16 15 12 22 – 65
Bedford NL 12 10 16 14 – 52
Turnovers – Scottsburg 10, BNL 13
Technical foul – Axsom
Field goal percentage – Scottsburg 21-49 (.429); BNL 19-43 (.442)
Free throw percentage – Scottsburg 11-15 (.733); BNL 10-12 (.833)
