Alivia Elmore
FLOYDS KNOBS — Jennings County’s best girls basketball season in school history came to an abrupt end Saturday night when the Class 4A No. 8 Panthers fell to Bedford North Lawrence 43-39 in the championship game of the Floyd Central Sectional.
The Panthers (23-4) led 18-9 late in the first quarter and still led 35-32 after three quarters. But they went ice cold, scoring only four points in the final period.
The game featured two of the leading Miss Basketball candidates in the Stars’ Chloe Spreen and Jennings’ Juliann Woodard, but supporting players took over. Spreen had only two baskets and 16 points, while Woodard had only one field goal and five points.
Madisyn Bailey led BNL (20-4) with 24 points. Alivia Elmore scored 12, Mollie Ernstes had nine and Avynn Belding added eight for the Panthers.
Jennings had beaten the Stars 58-41 on Jan. 3 on its way to winning the Hoosier Hills Conference title. The sectional title is the 13th in a row for BNL, the defending 4A state champions.
