What We Learned: Bedford North Lawrence needs to relax, Mitchell needs to play ball
The Bedford North Lawrence girls basketball team would serve itself well by learning to chill on occasion and disregard all of the lofty rankings and high-pressured schedule that comes with a team of its caliber.
The Lady Stars, ranked No. 4 in the ICGSA and IBCA Class 4A polls, put Tuesday's tough loss to No.14 Columbus East behind it and got back to a relaxing state of play Saturday night during a 62-28 Hoosier Hills Conference triumph over Floyd Central.
BNL shot out to a 21-10 lead after a quarter and revved it to 42-17 by halftime while drilling 6 of 14 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Karsyn Norman canned a trio of treys in the opening period and Madisyn Bailey added one, while Chloe Spreen splashed a pair in the second stanza.
"It's always relaxing when shots go in," BNL head coach Jeff Allen said with a wide grin. "We've told the kids that they need to relax and enjoy the moment and appreciate all of the success they've had.
"They don't need to put so much pressure on themselves. There are four games left (now three) and they need to relax, enjoy it, and take it all in. I thought they had fun out there tonight, and it was really nice to see."
Orleans girls building balance
Orleans had a rough go at times since senior point guard Lily Saliba suffered a torn ACL in the second week of the season, losing 11 in a row following her departure.
But now the young squad seems to be adjusting somewhat and is building balance and depth for the stretch run into the tournament. The Bulldogs beat White River Valley, 55-42, Tuesday night as three players scored in double figures.
Mylie Knight had 12 points, Cambree Cline and Jill Salmon added 10 apiece, and Devanee Gehl and Adrian Abel added 6 each. The Bulldogs battled for all they were worth Thursday night before dropping a 43-42 heartbreaker to Borden. Still there was excellent balance and several sources for scoring. Emily DeWitt pumped in 11 points, Knight had 9, Abel 8, and Cline and Salmon 4 apiece.
Of Orleans' last four losses, one has been by a point, another in overtime and a third by four points, so the Bulldogs are learning to compete as the postseason looms.
Rhythm a key for Mitchell
Since Dec. 18, the Mitchell girls' basketball team has played just two games. The Bluejackets hit the court amidst the holidays on Dec. 30 to take on Princeton and got off to a sluggish start before turning things around to pull out a 71-44 victory.
On Jan. 11 they reconvened to take on Bloomington North and again started slow but they couldn't manage to recover, losing 51-45.
After losing to North, Mitchell had hopes of re-establishing the sort of schedule that had helped them post a 10-6 record before the holiday break by getting in games at normal intervals and decreasing its need to feel out games before getting up to full speed.
Those hopes were then derailed by the school's COVID situation, forcing the Bluejackets' Thursday, Jan. 13 game against Eastern Greene to be canceled. They've also had to postpone their Tuesday, Jan. 18 bout with Paoli, one that could very well decide the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference champion.
This is all concerning for Mitchell as time is running out for them to finish their preparations for the state tournament. They fully expect to compete for a sectional title and will learn their path on Wednesday evening, but with sectional play beginning in just two weeks they'll have a short runway to build the rhythm they need to play their best in the season's most crucial games.
More: Bloomington North girls' basketball downs Mitchell in close girls basketball contest
This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: What We Learned: Bedford North Lawrence needs to relax, Mitchell needs to play ball
