Teague triple tops off Senior Night win for Bedford North Lawrence girls
BEDFORD — High school basketball is very much about gorgeous moves, thrilling plays, and big-time shots.
It's also every bit about beautiful moments that mean little to the outcome, but everything about making a memory out of being a part of a great team.
Bedford North Lawrence enjoyed one of the best of those Tuesday on Senior Night during a 57-34 romp over Salem at BNL Fieldhouse.
This moment occurred with only two ticks remaining on the clock when senior Hadley Teague, a reserve who rarely plays, gathered a pass from sophomore Madisyn Bailey and launched a long-range missile from just off the top of the key.
With the precious seconds nearly gone and a huge crowd holding its collective breath, the ball arched up over the outstretched fingers of Salem's Natalie Noel before plummeting down and nestling into the net for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
It had nothing to do with winning or losing, and it was Teague's only basket of the game. Yet, it will remain forever unforgettable for the shooter and the rest of the Lady Stars.
Bench blows up after Teague shot
Teague remained with the team despite landing precious little playing time during her career, content to work hard in practice to help her teammates prepare for big games.
She had made just two shots this season coming into the contest, and her buddies treated the final seconds like a rebound drill for Teague. The other two seniors, Carlee Kern and Ella Turner, combined for four offensive rebounds in the last 40 seconds, and the ball kept getting fed to Teague
When her last attempt splashed through the net the whole building erupted, and the Lady Stars blew off the bench to hug the senior and share in her tears of joy.
"It was pretty unbelievable," said Teague. "Ella was blocking her girl out like crazy to keep rebounding my misses and get me another chance, so I was really hoping I could get one. When I let that shot go I was like, 'Come on, come on, come on, please go in.'
"Finally a shot went through for me. I was so happy, and then all of the girls came running out and were hugging me and we were all crying. It was incredible. I'll never forget as long as I live."
She isn't the only one.
"I'm so glad Hadley celebrated that shot," said junior guard Karsyn Norman, who finished with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. "She was jumping up and down and tears were rolling down her face, and then the whole team came up and was hugging her and we were all crying.
"It was one of those moments you'll never forget. I was bawling like a baby. These seniors are my sisters, and I'm going to miss them so much. I think it was a great Senior Night, one we'll always remember."
That sisterhood is what kept Teague coming back.
"We all work together, and we've got great chemistry," she said. "The love that we have for each other on and off the court is what makes this so special and a lot of fun. Our team is as close or closer than any I've been on here at BNL.
"I basically think of them as my sisters."
Noel comes early for Salem
BNL's sisterhood was tested a tad at the outset. The Lady Stars started all three seniors with only Kern a regular in that regard. It's always an emotional stretch, and BNL struggled with 3 for 14 shooting, while Christmas came early for the Lions when senior forward Natalie Noel unleashed 11 points, including two trifectas, in the quarter to give Salem a 13-8 lead at the first stop.
"I'm proud of how we battled and competed," said Salem coach Jerry Hickey. "We played well early. But we don't have much depth so we wear down, and it's very tough to play when you face a team where every player at every position is faster and more aggressive than you.
"You have to remember that just a couple of weeks ago this was the No.1-ranked team in the state (in Class 4A) and they have two players (Norman and Chloe Spreen) who are going to go on and play major Division I basketball someday.
"But they have more. If they only had one or two kids who can score then you can take a lot of that away, but they have five or six and that makes it tough."
Bailey brilliance bails out BNL
The Lady Stars got the lineup situated and came roaring back in the second stanza behind a brilliant quarter from Bailey. The versatile second-year player was all over the floor to lead a 25-8 run.
Not only did she lock down on Noel and hold her scoreless the rest of the game, but she scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds (three at the offensive end), snared three steals and dished a pair of assists.
She also created a crown explosion when she rattled in a 35-footer 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer, while Norman hit two treys and had eight points to give the Lady Stars a 33-21 lead.
"Basketball is a funny game sometimes, and as a coach you try to find the best matchups to help your team," said BNL head coach Jeff Allen. "We tried a couple of people on Noel to try to get her slowed down, and we finally tried Madisyn and she did a tremendous job.
"But she helped us at both ends of the floor. She's capable of that, and we really need that offense out of her. Having that third scorer makes us very difficult go guard."
Norman agreed that Bailey needs to look to score.
"I was so glad to see Madisyn shooting and playing so well," Norman said. "We're trying to get ready for the tournament, and having Madisyn scoring is going to be a big key. It will make us that much better."
Defense carries the day
The Lady Stars had a couple of strong offensive quarters, but it was defense that ruled the night. BNL blasted its way to the lead by pressuring the Lions into 10 turnovers in the second stanza and 24 overall, and the Lady Stars also snagged 21 offensive rebounds.
Bailey finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Kern and Turner had seven rebounds apiece in their final home games.
"I think this is one of the finest defensive teams I've ever had here," Allen said. "Their intensity, athleticism and understanding of defensive positioning is so good. It makes it really difficult to score on us.
"I really want to see us start getting off to better starts offensively, and that's something I'll be hoping to see Thursday night (at Martinsville). But tonight was a great night for those seniors. I think you saw the chemistry on this team when Hadley hit that shot, and every single kid went out there to celebrate with her.
"The love these kids have for each was evident when they all wanted her to get those shots and kept feeding her. Those seniors are special kids who have been through four years here with me, and they're like daughters to me."
Spreen added 10 points and seven boards for BNL (19-2), which closes the regular season Thursday night on the road against the Artesians (7-13).
Contact Times-Mail Sports Writer Jeff Bartlett at jeffb@tmnews.com, or on Twitter @jeffbtmnews.
BEDFORD NL 57, SALEM 34
Salem (34)
Noel f 4-11 1-1 11, Ratts f 3-5 2-4 8, Klinglesmith c 1-3 1-1 3, Brown g 2-6 2-3 6, Tomlinson g 2-8 0-0 6, Hickey 0-3 0-0 0, Cobb 0-0 0-0 0, Heightchew 0-0 0-0 0, Sexton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-36 6-9 34.
Bedford North Lawrence (57)
Kern f 1-4 0-0 2, Turner f 3-7 0-0 6, Spreen g 4-16 1-2 10, Norman g 5-15 0-0 13, Teague g 1-5 0-0 3, Bailey 6-13 0-0 15, Pride 4-9 0-0 8. Totals 24-69 1-2 57.
Salem (10-9) 13 | 8 | 4 | 9 — 34
Bedford NL (19-2) 8 | 25 | 5 | 19 — 57
3-point goals: Salem 4-15 (Tomlinson 2-7, Noel 2-5, Hickey 0-3); Bedford NL 8-26 (Bailey 3-5, Norman 3-8, Spreen 1-6, Pride 0-2, Kern 0-2, Teague 1-3). Rebounds: Salem 26 (Noel 9); Bedford NL 35 (Bailey 8, Spreen 7, Kern 7, Turner 7). Turnovers: Salem 24, BNL 8. Total fouls: Salem 4, Bedford NL 9. JV: Salem, 28-26.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Teague triple tops off Senior Night win for Bedford North Lawrence girls
