Boys Hoops: Bloomington North rides fast start to 57–50 Senior Night win over Floyd Central

The regular year for Bloomington High School North’s boys basketball team has been up-and-down. Coming into Saturday’s game, the longest winning streak for North this season had been three games. The Cougars lost to Mooresville 78-72 at the start of January, which snapped that streak.

But on Saturday, North pushed its recent record to four wins in a row.

After defeating Columbus North 60-50 Friday night, Bloomington North powered through tired legs, scoring 27 points in the first quarter to lead Floyd Central by 15 points. The Highlanders won the remaining three quarters, but the early lead was enough for the Cougars to defeat Floyd Central 57–50 on Senior Night.

Junior guard Derrick Cross Jr. (20 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal) led an efficient Cougars scoring effort. Cross Jr. finished with 20 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, and snagging nine rebounds. North knocked down just under half its shots from the field and had a 5-14 effort from beyond the 3-point arc. Junior forward Levi Lindeman (16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) added 16 points, shooting 7 for 10 from the field.

Any fatigue that Bloomington North’s squad might have had from the night before was not evident in the first quarter. Lindeman opened the scoring with a 2-pointer, but Floyd Central senior guard Jacob Stewart (6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) nailed a 3-pointer on the other end of the floor.

The opening three minutes of the first quarter were a back-and-forth affair, but then the Cougars started to find their shooting groove. Cross Jr. knocked down a 3-pointer, and after a Highlanders turnover, he made another shot from deep.

Floyd Central senior forward Carter McQuigg (11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 fouls) responded with a 2-pointer, but Lindeman countered with a 2-pointer on the other end.

With just over two minutes left in the opening quarter, Lindeman drilled a 3-pointer to extend the Cougars lead out to 10 points. Then, Cross Jr. made a 2-pointer, which led Floyd Central to call a timeout. But Cross Jr. couldn’t be contained. He knocked down a 3-pointer, and Lindeman made a 2-pointer, giving the Cougars a 15-point lead.

After the first eight minutes of play, Cross Jr. already had 11 points and three rebounds. As a team, North made 11 out of its 13 shots, including 4 of 5 from beyond the 3-point arc. Senior forward John Bargen (2 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists) dished out five assists to his teammates.

North’s offense cooled off in the second quarter, but its defense still performed at an elite level. The Cougars recorded another five takeaways—after forcing five turnovers in the first quarter—and held Floyd Central to a 4-for-9 performance from the field.

However, in the second quarter, North only knocked down three field goals and two free throws—an effort that lost them the quarter by two points. Still, neither team made a shot in the final three minutes before halftime, leaving the halftime score at 35–22.

Entering the locker room, junior forward Jaxon Stone (12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist) led Floyd Central with six points, and McQuigg added five more. The Highlanders were looking to get hot to start the second half, but Bloomington North didn’t allow that to happen.

McQuigg opened the scoring in the third quarter, but two free throws from both teams kept the Cougars lead at 11 points. The margin stayed around there for the rest of the quarter. Both teams went on long stretches without making a field goal, as North was 3 for 12 from the field—also turning the ball over five times—while the Highlanders were 4 for 13.
But North came out swinging to start the fourth quarter. Cross Jr. drilled a 3-pointer, then Bargen stole the ball at midcourt, and threw down an emphatic slam dunk on the offensive end to fire up the home crowd.

But the momentum from the dunk didn’t last longer than one Floyd Central possession. Stewart knocked down an open 3-pointer, and the Highlanders head coach, Mike McBride, called a timeout with his team down by 12 points.

Offensive rebounds were crucial for Floyd Central’s comeback chances. The Highlanders corralled five boards on the offensive end in the fourth quarter—North had none—finishing with 17 shots to the Cougars nine.

However, Floyd Central couldn’t translate those rebounds into an advantage, missing most of its second- or third-chance points during the final eight minutes. North held the Highlanders to only one made 3-pointer and 18 points, while the Cougars scored 13.

North’s lack of efficiency from the free throw line kept the game closer than it needed to be. The Cougars made only 4 of 8 attempts from the charity stripe. Still, the first quarter lead was big enough to hand the Cougars a 57–50 win.

Bloomington North (13-6, 2-3 Conference Indiana) will conclude the 2025-26 regular season against Greenwood on Feb. 24 and New Albany on Feb. 27. Both games will be played at “The Cougar Den.” The Cougars will learn their Sectionals opponent Sunday night on the IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament Pairing Show at 6 p.m. [Added Feb. 22, 2026: .pdf file of pairings]

Photos: Bloomington North vs. Floyd Central (Feb. 21, 2026)

[Click on any photo, to arrow or swipe through all the images at full-screen size.]

Re-scheduled game start: 4 p.m.