By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Three-game road trips are not unusual in the Bedford North Lawrence basketball world. Happens almost every season. In fact, the Stars played five straight away from home to conclude the atypical, unpredictable 2020-21 campaign, then played their first postseason game on the opponent’s home floor.
But here’s another first for the program, at least verifiable in this century. BNL has never played its first three games on the road. That’s some counterproductive, unfavorable scheduling for a team that won only two road games all last year.
Sweeping that start would be sweet. BNL is poised in position to accomplish that. The Stars will conclude their road act on Friday night in one of the toughest environments in Southern Indiana when they journey to Scottsburg. BNL will finally return home to face Mitchell in the annual county rivalry clash on Saturday.
If first-year coach Chase Spreen was concerned about the potential hazards of the road show, he didn’t voice it. BNL’s motto has always been “anybody, any place” when it comes to competition.
”It’s a little unorthodox, versus what we’ve historically done,” Spreen said. “The thing we’ve talked a lot about is just controlling what we can, not getting too caught up in things we can’t control. The way the schedule is laid out is not something we can control right now. So we will play who’s in front of us, to the best we can to focus on stacking some wins. That’s the hand we were dealt.”
BNL opened with confidence-building wins at Sullivan (53-46) and Bloomington North (59-40), overcoming adversity in both. The Stars watched leads disappear at Sullivan, then recovered from a 9-point deficit in the second half at North with a near-perfect fourth quarter.
“It was against some experienced teams, we’ve had two road wins against quality opponents,” Spreen said. “We told them North would make some runs, make some shots. We can’t panic. The kids took that to heart and just kept coming, they kept responding. We kept our foot on the gas. The kids did a really good job of staying focused.”
Scottsburg will present another challenge. The Warriorettes started 0-2, both losses against teams ranked in Class 3A. They suffered a 69-27 setback to No.8 Jennings County (falling behind 29-8 after the first quarter and 48-12 at halftime) in their debut, then fell to No.4 Chatard 65-29 in their latest outing.
“Any time you go to Scottsburg, it’s never easy,” Spreen said. “We’ve had some good teams from here go over there and struggle. They call it the Pressure Cooker, right? Any given night, we can’t have any letdowns.”
Scottsburg will feature junior guard Addison Eldridge (11.0 points per game) and sophomore forward K.K. Grogan (7.5) among its weapons. The Warriorettes won last year’s battle at BNL as Lola Fouts hit the game winner in overtime for a 43-41 triumph. Ellie Richardson, now at Western Carolina, led Scottsburg with 22 points. Miley Sherrill paced the Stars, who converted only 12 of 43 shots, with 10 points.
Mitchell at BNL: The Stars will seek to continue their dominance over the Bluejackets. BNL has won the last 15 meetings by an average of 45 points.
Mitchell, which will visit Perry Central for its PLAC opener on Friday night, is 1-1. The Bluejackets started with a 40-19 win over Bloomfield, as Rayleigh Thompson scored 21 points, then dropped a 62-35 decision to Salem.
“It’s an emotional county rival,” Spreen said. “It will be nice for a home opener. We have to be ready to go, regardless of who we’re playing. Our mindset stays the same. We understand the importance of making sure we show up ready to play. Mitchell will be ready to go. We have to protect the home floor.”
BNL won last year’s meeting 61-16, bursting to an 18-0 start and a 43-5 lead at the half. Sherrill paced BNL with 12 points.
“The game is an opportunity to get better,” Mitchell coach Dakota Brasher said. “At this stage in the year, every game is all about us and what we can control.”
Trinidy Bailey (16.5) and Sherrill (14.5) lead the Stars in scoring, while Sammie Nusbaum is contributing 10 points and 6.5 rebounds.
BNL at SCOTTSBURG
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: BNL 2-0; Scottsburg 0-2
Last meeting: Last year at BNL, Lola Fouts hit the game winner in overtime as Scottsburg escaped with a 43-41 victory. Ellie Richardson had 22 points for the Warriorettes, while Miley Sherrill had 10 points for the Stars.
Previous game story: Lola the showstopper for Scottsburg
Game notes: Scottsburg is seeking to avoid its first 0-3 start since the 2014-15 season. BNL is starting the season with three consecutive road games for the first time this century.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F- Sammie Nusbaum 5-10 Jr.
F – Miley Sherrill 5-9 Jr.
G – Trinidy Bailey 5-7 Sr.
G – Jordan Blann 5-2 Jr.
G – Paige Burton 5-3 Sr.
Scottsburg Warriorettes
F – K.K. Grogan 5-10 So.
F – Brooklyn Moon 5-9 Sr.
F – Georgia McNeely 5-9 So.
G – Addison Eldridge 5-6 Jr.
G – Addison Elliott 5-8 Jr.
MITCHELL at BNL
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: BNL 2-0 (at Scottsburg on Friday); Mitchell 1-1 (at Perry Central on Friday)
Last meeting: Last year at Mitchell, BNL erupted to an 18-0 lead en route to a 61-16 triumph. Miley Sherrill had 12 points for the Stars.
Previous game story: BNL’s controlled burn consumes Mitchell
Game notes: Mitchell’s last win in the series came during the 2008-09 season. BNL has won the last 15 meetings by an average of 45 points.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F – Sammie Nusbaum 5-10 Jr.
F – Miley Sherrill 5-9 Jr.
G – Trinidy Bailey 5-7 Sr.
G – Jordan Blann 5-2 Jr.
G – Paige Burton 5-3 Sr.
Mitchell Bluejackets
F – Abigail Fountain 5-10 So.
G – Raylee Thompson 5-7 So.
G – Paisley Modglin 5-5 Sr.
G – Leighann Thompson 5-6 Jr.
G – Asiah Saunders 5-3 Jr.
