GBB 4A FINAL: Unbeaten #1 Bedford NL holds off #11 FW South for title

From ihsaa.org

TERRE HAUTE – Second-ranked Bedford North Lawrence capped an undefeated season in stirring fashion, outlasting No. 11 Fort Wayne South, 54-51, in a closely contested Class 4A girls basketball state championship March 2 at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute.

In a game with five ties and 12 lead changes, the Stars went ahead for good when 5’6” junior guard Sammy Dillman sank a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:20 remaining. That provided a 51-48 edge, and BNL closed out its scoring by hitting three free throws.

A pair of sophomores, 5’7” guard Alexa Bailey and 6’2” sophomore forward Dominique McBryde, led the Stars (28-0) with 19 points apiece. Bailey is the daughter of the state's all-time leading scorer and BNL assistant coach, Damon Bailey.

Sophomore 6’3” center Jenna Allen collected 11 rebounds for seventh-year coach Kurt Godlevske's Stars, who were making their fifth appearance in a state championship game. The title was their third (1983 and 1991).

Fort Wayne South’s trip to the Hulman Center marked its first appearance in the girls state finals. The Archers' performance in the title game was dramatically better than their regular-season meeting against the Stars, who won 63-39 points Jan. 26 at Bedford.

Senior 5’11” center Ariana Simmons led fourth-year coach Juanita Goodwell's Archers (24-4) with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds in the title game.

Bedford North Lawrence’s Fields named Roy Mental Attitude Award winner
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee named Carli Fields of Bedford North Lawrence High School as the winner of the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award in Class 4A girls basketball. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate partner, will present a $1,000 scholarship to the school in her name.

The award is named in honor of former IHSAA assistant commissioner Patricia L. Roy, who oversaw the girls basketball state tournament from its inception in 1976 until her retirement in 1999. The award is presented annually to a senior participant in each classification who was nominated by her principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability.

Fields achieved an SAT score above 1500 this year, is an active member of her youth group at St. Vincent DePaul Church in Bedford, and is a cadet teacher at a local middle school assisting teachers and students. She has been a key reserve player for the Stars’ run to the state championship game this year.

The daughter of Raymond & Tracey Fields of Bedford is undecided on her college choice but is interested in studying secondary education.

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