Bedford girls stay perfect with victory over arch-rival Monroe

TEMPERANCE – Nyah Mullins has been struggling a bit lately.

Bedford’s girls basketball team had a plan to get her rolling again.

On the Mules’ second possession of the night, an entry pass got the ball to Victoria Gray on the baseline and she quickly whipped the ball to Mullins, who scored in the key.

Photo Gallery: Monroe at Bedford girls basketball

“That felt great,” Mullins said. “The last two games have not been as good for me.”

Mullins wound up netting 11 points to help the Mules improve to 13-0 with a 50-20 win over Monroe Friday night.

“We are all so thrilled,” Mullins said of the perfect record that has Bedford ranked No. 8 in the state for Division 1. “We talk about it every day in practice. We have to work hard in practice, so that we are good in games.”

The Mules were very good Friday.

They were never challenged, leading 29-8 at halftime and 45-17 after three quarters.

“I thought we played with good energy tonight,” Bedford coach Bill Ryan said. “Our two guards (Aubrey) Hensley and (Peyton) Behnke did a really nice job.”

Bedford never allowed Monroe to score more than 9 points in a quarter. The Trojans netted a mere 2 points in the second quarter and 3 in the third.

“Everyone prides themselves on defense,” Mullins said. “We try to make it our No. 1 priority.”

Bedford’s defense had a little easier time than expected Friday because Monroe was shorthanded. The Trojans’ leading scorer Sophia Bussell went down early in the game with an injury and spent the rest of the night on the bench with ice on her ankle.

She did not have a point in the game.

“That’s something you don’t expect to happen,” Monroe coach John Mason said. “We’re hoping the swelling goes down and she’s okay. It’s tough being without your best player.”

Ryan built his defensive plan around Bussell.

“We planned to blitz her every time they ran the pick and roll for her and make her looks tough,” he said. “I thought we were doing a good job of that before she got hurt. Obviously, we didn’t want to see that happen.”

Bussell’s absence created opportunities for other Monroe players.

“The team kept fighting,” Mason said of his 3-10 squad. “It was a good learning experience. You like to see how they will react in a big game like this.”

Sophomore Zoe Leach had one of her strongest games with a team-high 9 points.

“It’s tough coming in here any time,” Mason said. “We’ve only beaten Bedford once over the last 14 years.”

Victoria Gray and Peyton Behnke had 12 points each to lead Bedford.

BEDFORD: Fulop 2 0-0 4, A. Gray 1 (1) 0-0- 3, Pudlowski 0 2-2 2, Hensley 1 1-2 3, Behnke 5 (2) 0-0 12, V. Gray 5 2-2 12, Mullins 3 (1) 4-5 11. Totals 17 (4) 9-11 50.

MONROE: Neddo 2 (1) 0-0 5, Roberts 0 2-2 2, Leach 4 1-5 9, Aulph 0 2-4 2, Kelley 1 0-0 2. Totals 7 (1) 5-11 20.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Bedford girls stay perfect with victory over arch-rival Monroe