By JIM BELSER
It was an action-packed contest with a wild finish but in the end, No. 2 Pike was able to hold on at the free throw down the stretch to prevail 58-53 over top-ranked Carmel at home Friday night in girls Class 4A basketball.
For Carmel coach Tod Windlan, the Greyhounds missed their chance with mistakes in execution when it mattered most. Carmel had a chance to tie it up as the clock ticked down to zero.
“I thought our kids didn’t make very good reads,” he said referring to his team’s last possession. “When they were taking away the stagger coming out for the three, we never slipped it. We are down three and we are dribbling it around the three-point line like the old slot racers. We don’t need a three at that point, we need a basket.”
A back-and-forth fourth quarter turned into a mad scramble in the final minutes of the game. Up 51-46, Pike’s Angel Baker hit a pair of free throws with 1:20 left. Carmel’s comeback attempt from that point would be one to remember.
With the Greyhounds pressing all over the court, Blake Smith of Carmel hit a pair of free throws after being fouled on a layup attempt, following a Pike turnover. On Carmel’s next possession after a steal, Teammate Maddi Sears buried a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left to cut it to 55-51. Then Amy Dilk of Carmel made a miraculous play that stunned the Pike crowd.
Executing a full court press along with her teammates, Dilk collided with Tomi Taiwo on a near steal attempt and fell out of bounds. In the confusion, both teams scrambled for the loose ball until the Red Devils came up with the possession. Pike then attempted to push the ball up the court. Dilk, however, jumped into the passing lane and stole the ball in front of the Pike student section that had previously taunted her.
Dilk next quieted them by adding a tough off-balance layup while being fouled with 47 seconds left. The surprising score cut the lead to 55-53. Dilk missed the bonus, however.
Carmel had a chance to tie it up seconds later. But the possession ended in a forced, off balance 3-point attempt that missed with six seconds left. Baker of Pike hit the game’s final two free throws.
The two team’s top players didn’t disappoint. Dilk of Carmel finished with 18 and was matched by Tomi Taiwo’s 18. Jasmine McWilliams, providing tough interior defense, ended with nine rebounds. The Carmel sophomore fouled out with three minutes left. Her presence was quickly missed as Pike immediately score twice on the inside following her departure.
“She’s our leading rebounder. She’s not coming out of a game like that very often. That last call was questionable. She was in perfect defensive position when she got that deflection,” Windlan said.
Pike’s superstar Angel Baker led with 25 on the night for the Red Devils. Baker was also instrumental in pushing the ball up the court for fast break scores on Carmel turnovers. Her main target was Michaela White who finished with 15.
Baker was 10-for-10 in the fourth quarter at the free throw line. Pike was 17-of-24 from the line for the game. Carmel totaled only five points from the free throw line on nine attempts.
“We were disorganized that last 30 seconds. It was a great game, we let them shoot too many free throws,” Windlan said.
The game was tight throughout. Carmel started off with two inside scores from McWilliams and Smith to open a 6-0 first quarter lead, forcing a Pike timeout. The Greyhounds finished the first quarter up 16-14 despite two 3-pointers from Pike’s Baker.
In the second quarter, Dilk scored on a left hander in the lane to tie the score 23-23. A steal by McWilliams of Carmel led to a rebound put back score by Taiwo moments later. Dilk hit a 3-pointer as the last second ticked off the second quarter clock to take a 28-25 lead into the locker room.
“We didn’t execute and read things when we needed to execute and read things,” Windlan said. “They are a great team and the MIC is a great conference and we have another big one coming up with Ben Davis. Hopefully we will correct some of these errors going into it.”
Carmel (20-2) will likely lose its No. 1 state ranking to Pike (20-1) when the new rankings come out next week. With the win, the Red Devils are undefeated Metropolitan Conference champions, finishing a perfect 7-0 in the league. The Greyhounds are 4-2 in the MIC.
Carmel next faces Cathedral in an away game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Pike 58, Carmel 53
Carmel FG FT TP PF
Amy Dilk 8-18 0-2 18 4
Tomi Taiwo 6-14 0-0 15 3
Reagan Hune 2-4 3-5 7 4
Blake Smith 2-3 2-2 6 4
Jasmine McWilliams 2-5 0-0 4 5
Maddi Sears 1-1 0-0 3 0
Macy Berglund 0-1 0-0 0 0
Molly Gillig 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 21-46 5-9 53 20
Score by Quarters
Carmel 16 12 6 19 – 53
Pike 14 11 12 21 – 58
Carmel 3-point shooting (6-14) Taiwo 3-8, Dilk 2-5, Sears 1-1.
Carmel rebounds (25) McWilliams 8, Dilk 5, Smith 3, Hune 2, Taiwo 1, Sears 1, team 5.