By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Silver Creek veteran coach Brandon Hoffman is not prone to hyperbole. He measures comments carefully, speaking softly while his team’s talent shouts at a high volume. Former president Teddy Roosevelt would appreciate his approach.
So when a two-time state championship coach declares his current Dragons could be the most talented team in the program’s rich history, stop and pay attention. Those are weighty words, considering one of his former stars is now the big man for one of the best college teams in the nation. Considering there’s two huge trophies and coveted strands of net from Bankers Life Fieldhouse (now Gainbridge, later to be Highest Bidder Fieldhouse) on display at Silver Creek.
How good are the Dragons? Bedford North Lawrence is about to find out.
The Stars, fresh from their first win, will tangle with Silver Creek, ranked No.2 in Class 3A and No.8 in the poll that doesn’t differentiate by class, on Saturday night.
The reasons for the Dragon fire are fourfold. Four scorers average in double figures, three of them are headed to Div. I college programs, they have size and experience. So comparing them to the teams that won 3A state titles in 2019 and 2021 (with the cancellation of the 2020 state tournament costing them a chance to threepeat) is inevitable. Those squads featured the outstanding triumvirate of Trey Kaufman-Renn (now a star at Purdue), Kooper Jacobi (Eastern Illinois) and Brandon Northern. Hard to top that group.
If anyone is authorized to compare the past and present, it’s Hoffman.
“I don’t know that there’s been a team at Silver Creek with as much talent,” he said. “There’s a lot of potential. There are high expectations. But potential has never cut down a net before.”
Silver Creek will feature 6-10 senior Dane Caldwell (16.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, en route to Richmond), 6-3 guard Kasen Daeger (14.5, 6.5, signed with Stony Brook) and sniper Dane Sprigler (10.8, 4.0 assists). But the catalyst is junior point guard Brandon Hunter, a triple-double threat with his numbers (11.5 points, 9.0 assists, 8.3 rebounds) and floor generalship. He’s already had multiple offers from major programs.
“Hunter is probably my favorite kid to watch play basketball, that doesn’t wear a BNL Stars uniform,” BNL coach Jackson Ryan said. “It’s how he sees the floor, how he affects winning without scoring a bunch of points. Any other night, I would be excited to watch him play. Unfortunately he’s on the other side. So we will do everything we can to slow him down.”
“Hunter is a special player,” Hoffman said. “He impacts the game in so many different ways. He can control a game without scoring. He’s a complete player. We can score in different areas, with different people. We have guys that can shoot from the perimeter, guys who can shoot from the lane. We have size to score with the back to the basket. So we have multiple weapons.”
Silver Creek (6-0 after beating Jeffersonville on Thursday night) has been a force, winning their first five games by 29 points per contest. Few teams have slowed down that attack.
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Ryan said. “If we can figure that out, there would be a lot of schools that would want to know how. It’s all the weapons they have at their disposal. Size, athleticism, shooting. Their two guards are the best one-two combo, as far as shooting, we’ll see this year. We’ve seen numerous clips of the ball going in the net at one end, then they get a wide-open three in only three or four seconds. So our transition defense will have to be elite. Taking care of the ball and shot selection will feed into that as well.”
BNL is coming off an impressive road win at Bloomfield, a 53-43 triumph that featured great balance and execution. Parker Kern (12.5) and Dax Short (11.0) have emerged as the top scoring threats, while Gibson Crane (6.8) totaled 12 in the win over the Cardinals.
“For the kids to be rewarded with a win was great to see,” Ryan said. “It’s about us continuing to grow and get better, show improvement. It doesn’t get any easier, Silver Creek might be the best team on our schedule, maybe the best team in the state, regardless of class. If we can control the pace, keep it in the halfcourt as much as possible, we can give ourselves a chance. If we don’t, if we try to keep up with them and want to play their game, it will be a rough night.“
SIlver Creek won last year’s clash 59-51 as Sprigler exploded for 26 points while Daeger added 14. Patric Matson paced the Stars with 17 points. The Dragons ended a three-game skid against BNL, now they will seek their first win in BNL Fieldhouse since the shortened 2020 campaign.
“Their guard play, both Kern and Short are good high school guards,” Hoffman said. “Crane is a matchup problem because he’s very physical and a good passer. And we haven’t won in Bedford in a while. That’s on my mind. It’s not easy to win on the road. We will have to play well to win.”
SILVER CREEK at BNL
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Records: Silver Creek 6-0, ranked No.2 in Class 3A; BNL 1-3
Sagarin ratings: Silver Creek 92.44; BNL 68.75
Series: Silver Creek leads 7-4
Last meeting: Last year at Silver Creek, the Dragons posted a 59-51 win. Dane Sprigler had 26 points and Kasen Daeger added 14 for Silver Creek. Patric Matson had 17 points for the Stars.
Previous game story: Silver Creek spurns BNL’s second-half advances
Game notes: Silver Creek won 3A state titles in 2019 and 2021. The Dragons have not won at BNL since the 2019-20 season. Silver Creek ranks 16th in the state in winning margin at 29 points per game. BNL’s first four opponents have a combined record of 12-4.
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.
Silver Creek Dragons
F – Brody McLaughlin 6-5 Jr.
F – Kasen Daeger 6-3 Sr.
C – Dane Caldwell 6-10 Sr.
G – Brandon Hunter 6-3 Jr.
G – Dane Sprigler 6-0 Sr.
