By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – With a late-season schedule backed up like big-city traffic at rush hour, Bedford North Lawrence will start the final push toward the postseason on Tuesday night.
The Stars (5-12) will host Martinsville (7-13) in a clash of success-driven styles. The Stars have been at their best during deliberate moments, while the Artesians would prefer more octane and offense. BNL averages only 46.9 points per game and has reached 60 only twice, while the Artesians have been over 70 three times, including their last outing.
Slowing down will benefit BNL more than speeding up.
“I don’t know if there’s anyone we can afford to get in a track meet with,” BNL coach Jackson Ryan said. “We have to grind it out. When we lose that identity, we just can’t play that fast. Every possession matters on both ends of the floor.”
Martinsville struggled through the midseason with an 8-game losing streak, and the Artesians averaged only 43.6 points during that skid. But they have scoring firepower with senior Grady Gardner (18.2) and senior Alex Stout (10.2). Gardner is a familiar figure after he scored 26 against BNL last season.
“It starts with Gardner,” Ryan said. “He’s capable, on any given night, of getting 30-plus with ease. We will be very focused on keying on him. He’s a three-level scorer. If we continue to go under screens or don’t communicate, he can single-handedly give us a lot of fits. When Gardner gets loose, that’s when bad things happen.
“The guys with him have really progressed. In their last three games, they have played a lot better. Some other guys have stepped up. They want to play quick and they want to dictate their tempo offensively. That starts with us taking care of the basketball, shot selection, execution. We need to make them do things in the halfcourt.”
BNL’s attack has only one double-digit scorer in senior Dax Short (14.6 after back-to-back 20-point performances). Junior guard Parker Kern contributes 8.5, while sophomore Easton Moore showed his explosive ability with 13 (including 11 in one quarter) at Jeffersonville.
The Stars will play five games during the final 10 days of the campaign, leaving little time for opponent preparation or tweaking internal issues.
BNL won last year’s clash at Martinsville by an 81-68 count. Logan Miracle converted 11 of 12 shots while scoring 26 points, Patric Matson added 26, and Quincy Pickett contributed 16. The Stars shot 65 percent overall and pulled away to a 17-point lead in the second half.
MARTINSVILLE at BNL
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: Martinsville 7-13; BNL 5-12
Sagarin ratings: Martinsville 68.84; BNL 62.70
Series: BNL leads 29-12
Last meeting: Last year at Martinsville, the Stars rolled to an 81-68 victory. Logan Miracle and Patric Matson scored 26 points each for BNL. Grady Gardner had 26 points for the Artesians.
Previous game story: Miracle divine for sizzling Stars
Game notes: First-year Martinsville coach Jackson Williams guided Greenwood Christian for four seasons and won a regional title in 2024. He is Martinsville’s third coach in three years.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F – Gibson Crane 6-3 Sr.
F – Easton Moore 6-2 So.
G – Dax Short 6-1 Sr.
G – Parker Kern 6-1 Jr.
G – Driven Axsom 5-8 Sr.
Martinsville Artesians
F – Alex Stout 6-3 Sr.
G – Grady Gardner 6-2 Sr.
G – Carson Robertson 6-1 Jr.
G – Mason Dodson 6-0 Sr.
G – Ty Stroud 6-0 Sr.
