By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com
CARMEL – The Carmel boys basketball team had to deal with the hot shooting of Cathedral Wednesday night at the Eric Clark Activity Center.
The Irish, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, shot 78 percent from the field in the second half, and that was a big part of their 55-47 victory over the 4A No. 8 Greyhounds. The game was back and forth until Cathedral made a run in the third quarter to take the lead for good, and while Carmel never let the Irish pull too far away, another late run sealed the win for Cathedral.
I thought they were tougher,” said Greyhounds coach Ryan Osborn. “I thought they made more game-winning plays when they mattered. We made a couple runs, got a couple leads and they responded. And when they would go on a run, we didn’t.”
After the Irish’s Jaron Tibbs scored the first basket of the game, Carmel skipped off on a 7-0 run. Sam Orme and Ryan Clevenger both made layins, then Logan Reinhart drained a 3-pointer.
But Cathedral responded with a 10-0 run that lasted into the second quarter. The Irish led 9-7 at the end of the first period, then Jake Davis’ 3 made it 12-7. Cathedral was able to keep the lead for the entire period, although Reinhart hit another triple to get the ‘Hounds within 12-11.
The Irish led 17-13 at halftime, but Carmel started the second half on a 6-0 run to get up 19-17. Spencer White made a layin, then Orme blasted off with a breakaway dunk to tie the game. Clevenger then scored off a Greyhounds steal, and Carmel held a 19-17 lead.
Ryan Clevenger scored five points for Carmel. (Richie Hall)
Booker made two free throws to tie the game, then Lebron Gough threw in a 3 to put Cathedral up 22-19. White stepped up again, draining two triples to get Carmel up 25-22.
That would prove to be the Greyhounds’ last lead, as the Irish took off on a 9-0 run. A Clevenger free throw was the final point of the quarter, so Carmel went into the fourth down 31-26.
The first couple minutes of the fourth period was mostly basket-trading, until White and Alex Couto made back-to-back floaters to keep Carmel within 38-33. Tibbs responded with a three-point play, and the two teams traded scores until the 2:32 mark, when a Tibbs free throw gave the Irish a 44-38 lead.
The Greyhounds made a push, as Orme hit two baskets to get Carmel within 44-42. But Tibbs was good on another and-1, and a Davis 3 made it a 6-0 Cathedral run. White hit one last 3 with 40 seconds left, but the Irish would stay in front by adding five more points.
A large student section was at the Eric Clark Activity Center to cheer on the Greyhounds. (Richie Hall)
“I think they played more connected and moved the ball better,” said Osborn. “They shot 78 percent in the second half, and we’re supposed to be a good defensive team, and they got a lot of in-rhythm, uncontested shots. You got to give them a lot of credit, because their players drove it when the opportunities were there. They finished at the basket with fouls. They were aggressive on the boards.”
Orme scored 14 points, collected five rebounds and handed out four assists. White totaled 13 points, including three 3s. Tibbs led all scorers with 24 points.
“We were pretty disconnected tonight,” said Osborn. “I didn’t think we played with a whole lot of toughness or grit. The good news is, we do have some time and I do think our kids are tough. But you got to learn how to be tough when things are tough. It’s a lot easier to be tough when everything’s going well.”
Carmel is 8-4 for the season and plays its next game on the road, traveling to Fort Wayne Snider on Saturday.
CATHEDRAL 55, CARMEL 47
Carmel FG FT TP PF
Alex Couto 3-10 0-0 6 2
Ryan Clevenger 2-3 1-2 5 3
Spencer White 5-10 0-0 13 5
Sam Orme 5-13 3-4 14 3
Logan Reinhart 2-5 0-0 6 2
Jared Bonds 1-2 1-2 3 2
Owen Huber 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 18-43 5-8 47 17
Score by Quarters
Cathedral 9 8 14 24 – 55
Carmel 7 6 13 21 – 47
Carmel 3-point shooting (6-20) White 3-8, Reinhart 2-5, Orme 1-3, Couto 0-4.
Carmel rebounds (17) Orme 5, Couto 4, White 3, Clevenger 2, Reinhart 2, Bonds 1.