By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – After exhaling, after restoring oxygen to the program with a first win, after breaking through the surface for a needed gulp of air, Bedford North Lawrence will dive back into the deep end of the competitive pool.
There’s no rest for the relieved. The Stars, with little time to celebrate and recover, will continue its early-season battle against a strong schedule current when BNL welcomes Columbus East to BNL Fieldhouse for the Hoosier Hills Conference opener on Friday night.
The Olympians (1-1) feature one of the prolific players in the league. Keaton Lawson, a prototypical point guard in a forward’s frame at 6-5, is a triple-double threat at any moment. He’s averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists. One way or another, he will have the ball.
“Lawson is just such a phenomenal athlete,” BNL coach Jackson Ryan said. “He’s a true point guard, with the size to see the floor extremely well. He has such good vision. Whatever we try to do, he will make a good decision.”
East has other weapons in senior Carter Patterson (18.5 points, 7.5 boards) and junior guard Graham Preizer (11.5 points). The Olympians want to shift tempo gears. BNL has proven it’s not built to run and gun, but rather must take time to aim for maximum target accounting.
“I would say that our strength is our defense, which creates opportunities in our transition,” East coach Perry Nash said. “Lawson is really good in that situation.”
“It’s a battle who will enforce their will, as far as style of play,” Ryan said. “If we want to give ourselves a chance to win, it has to be a halfcourt game that we control, like we did against Bloomfield.”
The Stars will counter with the balance and efficiency that worked against the Cardinals. Parker Kern (12.5) and Dax Short (11.0) are averaging double figures, while Easton Moore (8.0) has made an offensive impact in limited minutes off the bench. Gibson Crane scored 12 points against Bloomfield.
“We have to guard Kern,” Nash said. “We can’t let him get going.”
BNL hopes to take the first step toward the 14th league title in program history.
“Something we’ve preached is being perennial contenders, whether that’s in the conference or the sectional,” Ryan said. “Kids come and go, talents ebbs and flows, but we want to compete. It starts with East. We want to compete, especially on our home floor. The two games we’ve played at home so far, we haven’t put a good product on the floor. We hope to do that.
“It’s not like it gets any easier. East is talented, with the length and athleticism, as much as anyone the first three games we played.”
East won last year’s clash 55-49. The Olympians bolted to a 13-0 lead and rumbled to a 48-28 advantage in the third quarter before the Stars battled back late and had a shot to draw even in the final minute. Lawson had 24 points and 9 rebounds, while Patric Matson totaled 19 points for BNL. East ended BNL’s five-game winning streak in the series that dates back to BNL’s inaugural season.
COLUMBUS EAST at BNL
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: Columbus East 1-1 (0-0 in HHC); BNL 1-3 (0-0 in HHC)
Series: BNL leads 36-15
Last meeting: Last year at East, the Olympians held off BNL’s late rally for a 55-49 win. Keaton Lawson had 24 points and 9 rebounds for East. Patric Matson scored 19 points for the Stars.
Previous game story: Stars suffer on the mean streets
Game notes: BNL beat East for its first Hoosier Hills Conference victory in 1974. The Stars won a share of the league title in 2023. BNL has won 13 HHC championships in program history. East won its last HHC crown in 2003.
Starting lineups
Bedford NL Stars
F – Ben Conner 6-3 Sr.
F – Gibson Crane 6-3 Sr.
G – Dax Short 6-1 Sr.
G – Parker Kern 6-1 Jr.
G – Jace Nicholson 6-1 Jr.
Columbus East Olympians
F – Keaton Lawson 6-5 Sr.
F – Carter Patterson 6-3 Sr.
G – Judah Lewis 6-0 Jr.
G – Anthony Cowan 6-0 Sr.
G – Graham Preizer 5-9 Jr.
