BEDFORD
While they led in almost every statistical category, Seymour’s boys basketball team couldn’t pull out a victory on Damon Bailey Court.
Bedford North Lawrence took advantage of 12 Seymour turnovers to gut out a 57-49 Hoosier Hills Conference victory against the Owls on Friday.
Neither team could get much of an edge in the first quarter.
Baskets by the Stars’ Jathan Ritter and Isaiah Stockman gave the home team an early advantage before Ty McCory hit a 3-pointer for Seymour to open the Owls’ scoring with 6:26 on the clock.
The teams exchanged points until the Owls’ Alan Perry converted an and-one to tie the game at 12 at the end of eight minutes of play.
A free throw from Jack Roberts and basket by Zach Moore gave the Owls a 15-14 lead with 5:30 left in the half.
Following a 3-pointer from the Owls’ Max Otte, at the 3:42-mark, the Stars closed the half on an 8-2 run.
At the break, the Stars held a 25-20 lead.
Seymour (5-6, 1-3 HHC) chipped away at the lead to start the third quarter, as free throws by Perry, a basket by Tiller Cummings and a pair of scores from Moore brought the deficit to 29-28 with 5:11 left in the period.
Following back-to-back scores from Ritter, Otte sank another 3-pointer to pull the Owls back within two.
After 24 minutes of play, the Stars (8-5, 3-0 HHC) led 37-31.
Bedford held the Owls without a field goal through the first five and one-half minutes of the fourth quarter.
From 7:24 to 2:46, the Stars outscored the Owls 11-6. In that span Seymour made 6 of 8 free throws.
A basket and two free throws by Moore brought the Owls back within distance at 48-41 with 1:53 remaining.
After a deep 3-pointer from Perry fell to bring the score to 50-44 with 1:31 left, the Owls were forced to foul down the stretch.
The tactic worked initially, as the Stars made just 2 of 5 freebies with a minute left to lead 52-44.
In the final 37 seconds the Stars were 5 for 6 from the free-throw line as they secured the victory.
Perry led the Owls with 13 points and Moore had 12. Ritter topped the Stars with 17 points, Brayton Bailey scored 13 and Stockman totaled 12.
“In all honesty, if you don’t look at turnovers, we probably beat them in every category but the scoreboard,” Owls coach Tyler Phillips said. “We played well tonight. When you go to (Bedford), if you give up 57 points you need find a way to win that basketball game. We just broke down. We take a play off here and there and we can’t do that with the schedule we’re playing.”
The Owls outrebounded the Stars 22-20 and had 12 turnovers to the Stars’ nine errors.
“When you’re playing in the league we’re playing in, especially on the road, you can’t make mental mistakes,” Phillips said. “I thought turnovers and missed free throws (hurt us). We had (Bedford) scouted to the ‘T,’ but we did not execute. Bedford did what they had to do, but I think we beat ourselves tonight.”
At the free-throw line, the Stars were 14-for-24 while the Owls shot 14-for-19.
Tonight, the Owls will host Scottsburg in a varsity-only game on the back end of a girls-boys doubleheader.
Phillips went on the record to say that one of his seniors will have a big night against the Warriors.
“Ty McCory (six points versus Bedford) will have a career night (tonight),” Phillips said. “Nobody feels as bad in that locker room as Ty because he felt like he let his teammates down. I told him that there will be nights when the ball just won’t go in. I don’t know what the 3-point record is for a game, but I will tell you it’s in trouble (tonight).”