Bedford North Lawrence denies Bloomington North to win Danny Bush Classic

BEDFORD — The championship game of the 2021 Danny Bush Classic Holiday Tourney drew Indiana University men's basketball head coach Mike Woodson to BNL Fieldhouse Tuesday night.

He was attracted by Bloomington North junior JQ Roberts, and with good reason if the Hoosiers' head man heard about the 6-7 forward's afternoon game when he went off for 27 points, threw down four thunderous dunks, and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over Whiteland.

Woodson's eyes might've wandered a bit during the title tilt, however, because the best player on the floor belonged to Bedford North Lawrence.

While Roberts was limited to 10 points on 3 of 11 shooting, BNL junior guard Colten Leach scored 20 points, pulled in eight rebounds, dished three assists, snared two steals and blocked a shot to lead the Stars to a 48-40 triumph that avenged a 66-47 setback at 15th-ranked North in the season opener.

It capped a 40-point day for Leach and pulled BNL's record even at 4-4 with their third straight win (all since Leach returned from his knee injury).

Speer knows about wins at BNL

Bloomington North head coach Jason Speer knows a thing or 27 about winning within the confines of BNL Fieldhouse. During his final two seasons as a starting guard for the Stars, BNL went 27-0 on its home floor.

So Speer was not shocked at how well the Stars competed. They had an advantage not there in the first meeting when Leach was out, while North senior guard Nick Klaiber missed Tuesday's action with a partially torn hamstring. He scored a game-high 18 in the first clash between the teams.

Still, Speer sought no excuses, giving BNL credit where due.

"It's obviously tough not having Nick, especially when you're playing your second tournament of the holiday break," he said. "But we have other good kids, and we allowed Bedford to dictate the pace of the game. They played extremely well.

"It doesn't surprise me at all because they're a very solid team. They actually kept it close most of the first game we played them until we went on a run late.

"Leach is a great player and he makes a big difference for them, but they're all solid kids."

Hein applauds the effort

BNL indeed maintained its tempo throughout the contest, keyed by a 12-6 lead after a quarter as Trace Rynders rained in a pair of deep 3-pointers and Leach added four points. Meanwhile, BNL's man-to-man defense forced the Cougars into 1-for-9 shooting.

According to Hein, it was imperative that the Stars play from the lead.

"It's always important for us to get out front so we can dictate the game," Hein said. "We did a really good job of that all game. Our kids played so hard, and it was another great team win where five kids were willing to do whatever it takes to play well and win a basketball game.

"It isn't always the most athletic or most talented team that wins. We played really good defense, took care of the ball pretty well considering the pressure they put on you, and we outrebounded them with great hustle.

"It was a nice win. It's my first over a Bloomington school, so that feels pretty good."

Speer agreed that playing from behind did not serve his team well.

"We ended up chasing them for four quarters and that's tough anytime, but especially in the second game of a day," he said. "You're not going to catch the rabbit there. They're solid defensively and the way they moved the ball caused us to have to chase and chase.

"BNL played inspired basketball, and so did Monroe Central (in a win over North in the title tilt of the Connersville Tourney last week). We're going to have to start rising up and meeting that with our own inspired play."

Teams tired and testy at outset

Things got a tad physical in the first half as two tired rival teams got a little testy. A double foul was called in the first quarter, and North reserve Gavin Reed was whistled for a technical foul during a loose-ball scrum early in the second.

Cooler heads prevailed, and Leach scored on a brilliant drive between three defenders to make it 17-11, but the Cougars caught a gust. Marco Fitch drove for a reverse layup and Roberts swished a trifecta to narrow it to 17-16, but the Stars worked the clock and got a 15-footer from reserve Kole Bailey at the halftime buzzer.

"It was definitely a test of our toughness," Hein said. "Our kids held their ground, didn't back away, and never lost the lead. I'm really proud of them."

Leach takes control

Fitch started the second half with a driving basket to make it 19-18, but Leach and the Stars to North's trapping, half-court zone. They whipped it around and through with deft ball movement as Leach nailed a 15-footer, hit a pullup from 8 feet off a steal, added two free throws and notched a putback to push it back to 27-20 at the 3:22 mark.

He scored eight points in the period, and when Kaedyn Bennett buried a trey the Stars took a 30-22 lead to the fourth quarter.

"We got Leach going there offensively, and he was so good tonight," said Hein. "I think he thought Woodson was there to see him. We're just a better team with him, obviously."

Jett jams JQ

Hein once again handed the challenge of guarding Roberts to junior forward Jett Jones, who surrenders seven inches in height but none in heart. Jones gave Roberts room on the perimeter, then jammed him up inside with the aid of strong help defense.

Jones also drilled a critical 3-pointer to push the margin to double digits starting the fourth quarter, and the Stars led by as many as 12 before bringing it home.

"What a game Jett Jones played," Hein said. "He has guarded JQ the whole way in both games now and held him to 12 and 10. It wasn't just him. He had help inside from his teammates, but Jett did a great job defensively.

"And he hit a big three, got after the boards (6 caroms) and had three steals. He played his heart out."

Fitch finished with 13 points, while Roberts and Nate Hoffman had 10 apiece for the Cougars (7-3), who shot 13 for 41 (32 percent) from the field and were beaten on the boards, 33-26. North is off until it hosts the city clash against Bloomington South on Jan. 7.

Bailey backed Leach with eight points, while Colton Staggs and Rynders added six each, and Bennett battled for seven rebounds for BNL, which hosts Evansville Reitz on Jan. 7.

Contact Times-Mail Sports Writer Jeff Bartlett at jeffb@tmnews.com, or on Twitter @jeffbtmnews.

BEDFORD NL 48, BLOOMINGTON NORTH 40

Bloomington North (40)

Roberts f 3-11 1-6 10, Kante f 0-2 0-1 0, Fitch g 5-15 2-2 13, Hoffman g 3-8 2-2 10, Vencel g 1-2 0-0 2, Reed 1-3 1-1 3, Daniels 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 13-41 8-14 40.

Bedford NL (48)

Bennett f 1-6 0-1 3, Jones f 2-4 0-0 5, Leach g 7-15 6-7 20, Rynders g 2-2 0-0 6, Staggs g 1-8 4-6 6, Bailey 3-5 2-4 8. Totals 16-40 12-18 48.

Bloomington North (7-3) 6 | 10 | 6 | 18 — 40

Bedford NL (4-4) 12 | 7 | 11 | 18 — 48

3-point goals: Bloomington North 6-20 (Hoffman 2-5, Roberts 3-7, Fitch 1-4, Kante 0-2, Reed 0-2); Bedford NL 4-12 (Rynders 2-2, Jones 1-1, Bennett 1-6, Leach 0-1, Staggs 0-2). Rebounds: Bloomington North 26 (Kante 8, Roberts 7); Bedford NL 33 (Leach 8, Bennett 7). Turnovers: Bloomington North 9, Bedford NL 12. Total fouls: Bloomington North 18, Bedford NL 17. Fouled out: Vencel.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Bedford North Lawrence tops Bloomington North for tourney title