Surging Stars hoping to unmask Huskies during Saturday matinee

BNL’s Sammie Nusbaum and the Stars (11-4) will seek their fourth straight win when they host Evansville North on Saturday afternoon.

By Justin Sokeland

WBIW.com

BEDFORD – Masquerade masks were common attire for New Year’s Eve parties in the distant past. Flipping the calendar to a new year, with its resolutions and vows for betterment, Bedford North Lawrence will start 2026 with another disguised challenge.

Evansville North, much better than its pedestrian 7-7 record indicates, will invade BNL Fieldhouse for a classic matinee matchup on Saturday. The Huskies opened 1-5 while battling through a grueling schedule, now they bring a four-game winning streak, and a return to dangerous offensive strength, into the series renewal.

The Stars generated their own momentum with three straight wins to conclude the Eagle Classic at Austin. Now they’re turning the page to the final month of the regular season with an impressive 11-4 record.

“The kids are really focused,” BNL coach Chase Spreen said. “It’s important to understand there will be ups and downs, there will be stretches of games where you play better. The kids are excited. We didn’t play much in the month of December, so the kids want to play and compete. I have no reason to believe we will take a step back.”

Who are the real Huskies? Their early five-game losing skid came against high-quality competition. The first four (Heritage Hills, Evansville Reitz, Castle and Bloomington South) have a current combined record of 43-10, two of those are ranked. They own a signature win over rival Evansville Central (ranked No.11 in Class 3A). Although undersized, they have three double-digits scorers and count on contributions from their backcourt to compete with the elite.

“Their balance creates some issues,” Spreen said. “We will have to be ready to go. They have good guard play, they’re strong and physical, they make shots at a high clip.”

Trinidy Bailey leads the Stars in scoring at 11.7 points per game.

North’s leaders include senior Zhaeyana Cooper (10.3), Lexi Scott (10.7) and Maddy Walters (10.3, expected back after missing four games). The Huskies struggle to score at times (averaging 48.2, held to 40 or less four times), but they count on treys and defense to inflict damage.

Defense has been BNL’s constant. Even during losses, that side of the court has been steady. BNL is allowing only 39.8 points, and that number drops when taking the losses out of the equation.

“That’s been consistent for us, and it has to be to compete against good teams,” Spreen said. “If we make shots and defend the way we do, we can beat a lot of teams. That’s what we saw this week (at Austin). So I was happy with the way we competed.“

BNL’s attack also features balanced options with Sammie Nusbaum (11.1), Trinidy Bailey (11.7) and Miley Sherrill (10.9).

“We will have our hands full against a very well-coached team that plays hard and has the ability to win in multiple ways,” North coach Tyler Choate said.

North won last year’s clash 51-36, bolting to a 13-0 lead. Libby Blythe had 17 points for the Huskies. The Stars converted only 13 of 45 shots, a total that included an indiscriminate 6 of 29 from long range.

The Huskies visited BNL Fieldhouse for the 2024 regional, but they’re making their first trip as a foreign adversary since the 2003-04 campaign.

“We are excited and looking forward to traveling to Bedford,” Choate said. “We understand and respect the history of the gym and the girls basketball program at BNL. From Jorie Allen, Dominque McBryde Karsyn Norman, Chloe Spreen and others, you can almost feel the tradition when you walk in.”

BNL’s Miley Sherrill is one of three players averaging in double figures for the Stars.

EVANSVILLE NORTH at BNL

When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Records: Evansville North 7-7; BNL 11-4

Sagarin ratings: Evansville North 77.64; BNL 78.87

Last meeting: Last year at North, the Huskies bolted to a 13-0 lead en route to a 51-36 victory. Libby Blythe had 17 points for North, while Miley Sherrill totaled 9 points for BNL. The Stars were only 6 of 29 from long range.

Previous game story: North zones out BNL

Game notes: Evansville North is making its first trip to BNL Fieldhouse to face the Stars since the 2003-04 season.

Evansville North statistics

BNL statistics

Starting lineups

Bedford NL Stars

F – Sammie Nusbaum 5-10 Jr.

F – Miley Sherrill 5-9 Jr.

G – Trinidy Bailey 5-7 Sr.

G – Jordan Blann 5-2 Jr.

G – Paige Burton 5-3 Sr.

Evansville North Huskies

F – Addy Gibson 5-9 Jr.

F – Kyra Patterson 5-9 Sr.

G – Millie Elliott 5-8 Jr.

G – Lexi Scott 5-5 So.

G – Zhaeyana Cooper 5-6 Sr.