By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Terre Haute North double-dipped the chip. Dunked a couple, too.
With five double-digit scorers, the streaking Patriots kept taking big bites out of Bedford North Lawrence. They dipped, dipped again, and there was no ending the offensive firepower. That’s why they rank among the top-scoring teams in the state.
Efficient and explosive, North cruised unimpeded to an 81-51 victory over the Stars on Saturday night. Trai Brown came off the bench with an impressive double-double as the Patriots (14-3) recorded their 12th straight win. They were the masters of the domain, and there was no serenity for the struggling Stars (4-10).
From the first moments (the Patriots exploded to an 11-0 lead and converted their first six possessions) to the 14-2 blast in the third quarter that was the final “yada” in North’s story, the Patriots dominated. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Unless you’re BNL, realizing the reality of the talent gap.
North has done that to almost every opponent. The Patriots, ranked seventh in the state in scoring, topped the 80 mark for their third time this season. In fact, their lowest point total (63) is just one basket lower than BNL’s highest. They have weapons galore, and they were spectacular against the Stars. It’s no wonder they’re three baskets from being undefeated.
“We have a veteran team, we’re very balanced,” TH North coach Todd Woelfle said. “That showed tonight. When this team shares the ball, we’re pretty good. We have multiple guys that can score. That’s what these kids do. It’s the sign of a good team that’s getting better.“
All the numbers prove that. Most high-level teams have a main character capable of scoring in high volume. Not the Patriots. The top scorer is under 12 points per game. How in the world do they hit 72 every night? Whoever the defense keys on, the opposite would probably be right.
“They have a lot of weapons,” BNL coach Jackson Ryan said. “On any given night, you never know who it will be. It’s a tough team to beat.
“That’s Terre Haute North basketball, that’s Coach Woelfle. He has laid the foundation of what we see now. You see the fruits of that labor, the talent that plays into that. It’s a special group. It’s a team that’s gearing up for another run.”
Case in point, the first five minutes. Four different Patriots scored. Before the Stars could air any grievances, they trailed 24-9. In the second half, after BNL slashed a 23-point deficit to 48-35 with its best sustained run, Brown went to town. He scored 9 points during the breakaway burst, all from point-blank range as the Stars failed to contain dribble penetration and paid the price.
Brown finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds – both totals three times his averages – off the bench. Cam Fennell and Tyler Renn contributed 13 points each, and Gavin Woelfle (the point guard and son of the coach) had 12. Blake Hammond totaled 11 points.
Woelfle was the catalyst with his ability to break down a defender, attack the lane and find an open teammate when help stepped in and defensive rotation did not.
“Gavin is so hard to contain, he’s so shifty,” Ryan said. “He’s finding people, and he really put pressure on us.”
Dax Short paced the Stars with 15 points while Gibson Crane powered his way to 9. That end was not the issue. North shot a sizzling 62.5 percent (30 of 48) and doubled BNL on the boards (32-16). No soup for the Stars on the defensive side. Next.
BNL’s best came during the third-quarter response. Crane muscled inside twice, Short swooped to a layup and swished a trey, and Parker Kern turned a steal into a 3-point play. After that, North pulled away.
“I liked our fight,” Ryan said. “Instead of folding, we threw a counter punch. What’s so frustrating for us, when it gets bad, it gets ugly. It’s a common theme, our margin for error is so slim. When teams go on those runs, it looks so easy for them. We have to cut down on those. It’s back to consistency.”
BNL gave up its most points this season, the most since Evansville North posted 82 (in double overtime) during the 2021-22 campaign. Those numbers need work.
“We wanted to get out in transition, get as many possessions as we could,” Woelfle said. And that strategy resulted in two thunderous dunks. “We’re gaining confidence. This is a tough place to play, it’s always hard to win here. We found a way to get it done.
“BNL played hard, they played well. Coach Ryan is doing a good job in building something for the future.”
The Stars will return to action on Thursday, hosting Floyd Central.
TERRE HAUTE NORTH PATRIOTS (81)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
11 Blake Hammond, f 0-1 4-6 3-5 4 3 11
33 Brady Klopfenstein, f 1-1 2-4 2-2 2 1 7
23 Tyler Renn, c 1-2 4-5 4-6 4 1 13
22 Gavin Woelfle, g 1-4 4-10 3-3 2 0 12
12 Cam Fennell, g 1-2 5-6 2-2 2 3 13
2 Mason Loyd 1-1 2-2 0-0 1 3 5
14 Nate Millington 0-2 1-5 0-0 3 1 2
10 Trai Brown 0-0 7-8 1-1 11 1 15
20 Quentin Parker 0-0 1-1 0-0 2 0 2
40 Chase Millington 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 1 0
24 Gavin Belleu 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
42 Jonathan Purdy 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
30 Trenton Woelfle 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 1
32 Lawson Shepperd 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
44 Parker Strole 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 5-14 30-48 16-21 32 15 81
BEDFORD NL STARS (51)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
24 Gibson Crane, f 0-0 4-4 1-3 3 4 9
10 Easton Moore, f 1-1 1-4 0-0 0 1 3
5 Dax Short, g 1-4 6-12 2-5 5 0 15
1 Parker Kern, g 0-1 3-10 1-1 1 2 7
11 Jace Nicholson, g 0-3 0-3 0-0 1 0 0
40 Ben Conner 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
12 Dayson Kirby 2-2 2-3 1-2 0 3 7
2 Driven Axsom 1-1 2-2 1-2 3 4 6
23 Jett Alvey 0-0 0-0 2-3 0 1 2
20 Jack Parsons 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
22 Garrett Chaillaux 0-0 1-2 0-0 1 1 2
Totals 5-12 19-40 8-15 16 18 51
TH North 24 15 25 17 – 81
Bedford NL 11 12 17 11 – 51
Turnovers – TH North 7, BNL 13
Field goal percentage – TH North 30-48 (.625); BNL 19-40 (.475)
Free throw percentage – TH North 16-21 (.762); BNL 8-15 (.533)
