Karsyn Norman in fine form at BodyArmor Showcase for ICGSA No. 1 Bedford North Lawrence

BEDFORD — Word has it that Karsyn Norman's workout regimens might make a Marine run for cover, and the muscular frame on the junior point guard for new ICGSA No. 1 Bedford North Lawrence would seem to confirm that rumor.

So the kid is a mere 5-6, but has a strong back, and she doesn't mind using it when it's necessary.

Such was the case last Wednesday at the Girls BodyArmor Showcase in Jeffersonville when the Lady Stars were dueling with a determined Warren Central club. It was a rare game when Norman's teammates struggled to locate the bottom of the net with their shots.

So Norman hoisted them up on her stout shoulders, and proceeded to put on a show to lead the 15-1 Lady Stars to a 54-43 win. The victory vaulted them to No.1 in the ICGSA Class 4A poll heading into Saturday afternoon's (2:30) test at No.13 Castle (12-3).

Norm finds her form

Playing on a day when her teammates shot a combined 6 for 29 from the field, Norman went 11 for 22 and buried seven 3-pointers to pour in a career-high 30 points, earning a nomination for IBCA District 3 Player of the Week.

The display wowed the crowd at William S. Johnson Arena, and even had a group of Jeffersonville students ooh-ing, aah-ing and openly cheering from the bleachers below the press table as they witnessed her step-back shots and spin moves.

"I guess I was just feeling it," said Norman, who definitely entered the coveted "zone" that athletes find on occasion. "In warmups I wasn't really hitting that well, so I didn't really expect a lot.

"But once the game got going and the first couple went in I started feeling it. But I had no idea how many points I had or anything like that. It just happened because of how the game was going. I was trying to help my team."

Great teams pick each other up

The Lady Stars endured one of their toughest starts of the season against the Warriors, who rode the early hot hands of guard Sanaa Thomas and forward Asiah Baxter to claim a 17-13 lead after a quarter.

Warren Central expanded it to 28-20 in the second before BNL buckled down. Norman scored six points down the stretch, including her fourth trey of the first half with :16.5 showing to cut it to 28-26 by halftime.

The 5-6 backcourt star added three more 3-pointers and 11 points in the third period as BNL reeled off a 19-9 run to take command of the contest. Her gas tank ran a little dry or she might've had a 40-point night.

"It was really just part of being a player and a competitor," Norman said her scoring deluge. "We got started off pretty rough and I wanted to do what I could to pick us up. I'm going to have my teammates' backs, just like they will always have my back at any time.

"That's what good teams do. Everybody tries to do something to have each other's back. You saw it in the fourth quarter. I got a little tired, but everybody else picked it up."

Team approach takes BNL to top

Norman has averaged 20.3 ppg in her last three outings, but just four games ago she struggled through a 2-for-9, six-point night against Evansville Mater Dei.

No worries. It's a team game, and sophomore Chloe Spreen scored 18 points, sophomore Madisyn Bailey added 11, and senior Carlee Kern had seven as BNL rolled by 20.

Against Warren Central, the other Lady Stars battled through the shooting woes to contribute mightily as Spreen tossed in eight points, nine rebounds and four assists, junior Mallory Pride pulled in 10 boards with five points, Kern added six points and nine rebounds, and Bailey added five points and three assists.

Of course, everybody bore down on defense in the second half and limited the Warriors to 15 points. Norman took care of the points this time.

"I honestly had no idea how many I had," she said. "I mean, I definitely was knocking down some shots, but I wasn't thinking about how many points I had. I wanted to help us win. It was fun, I do admit that, but it's way more fun when you win."

Norman is a prime candidate to make the Indiana Junior All-Star team this season and those who need to know surely do, but if not it's time to take note. She has raised her scoring average to a career-best 14.9 ppg, but also adds 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.8 assists per game. She has converted 32 3-pointers, shoots 51 percent from the field overall, and is a demonic defender who regularly shuts down the opponents' top scorer.

One thing is certain, be it a Lady Star or an All-Star teammate, Norman is going to have their back.

A house call at Castle

BNL's No.1 status will be tested right away. The Lady Stars take that enlarged target to the southern tip of the state Saturday afternoon for a duel against No.13 Castle (12-3), followed by a home contest Tuesday night against 14th-ranked Columbus East (12-3) for HHC supremacy.

Castle is always a tough tussle on its homecourt. BNL barely held on two years ago in Newburgh, 48-43, and lost twice to the Knights, including the regional championship game, in 2018-19. Obviously, however, Castle will also have its hands full with BNL, which played extremely tough defensively last year in a 60-38 victory at BNL.

The Lady Stars send out a balanced scoring attack with Spreen's 16.1 ppg added to Norman's 14.9, while Bailey is at 6.6, Pride 6.4 and Kern 5.8.

Castle is much the same. Senior guard Jordan Coon scores 11.9, senior forward Natalie Niehaus is next at 11.3, senior guard Megan Kain contributes 8.4, junior guard Devyn Barton adds 8.0 and senior guard Ky Hay Swope tosses in 6.1.

Junior varsity action starts at 1 p.m.

Contact Times-Mail Sports Writer Jeff Bartlett at jeffb@tmnews.com, or on Twitter @jeffbtmnews.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Bedford North Lawrence's Karsyn Norman steals show at BodyArmor Showcase