By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
Every so often, and more often than not, there will be a basketball game where a team’s victory is called an improbable victory.
It’s just too bad when you’re on the other team.
Carmel had to play the role of “the other team” Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Greyhounds held a huge early lead before Warren Central started chipping away at it in the third quarter. The No. 1-ranked Warriors then blasted through the fourth to claim the Class 4A boys basketball state championship, beating the No. 10 Greyhounds 54-48.
The fact that Warren Central won the game was not improbable. The Warriors finished the season a perfect 32-0, the first unbeaten team since the 2008-09 season saw two unbeaten teams (Bloomington South in 4A and Princeton in 3A). Warren also became the first team to sweep state in both girls and boys basketball since Oregon-Davis did so in 2007.
No, what was improbable was that the Warriors came back from so far down. The ‘Hounds led 20-7 in the second quarter. That was part of a chaotic first half that saw big runs from both teams.
Warren leaped out to a 7-0 lead, with Antwaan Cushingberry’s 3-pointer finishing off that run with 4:52 remaining in the first. The Warriors would not score again until the 1:26 mark of the second quarter – almost a period and a half.
During that time, Carmel did everything right. Junior Andrew Owens got the ‘Hounds on the board with a putback, then junior John Michael Mulloy and senior Cole Jenkins sank layins to get Carmel within 7-6 at the end of the first.
Mulloy converted a three-point play to put his team ahead 10-7. Carmel then dominated from the free throw line for most of the second quarter, going 8-of-10 from the line. Mulloy also made another layin midway through the period; he had 10 points by the 2:26 mark of the second.
“I think in the first few minutes, you’re in a tough environment, you’re in a new place, and our guys just had to settle in,” said Carmel coach Ryan Osborn. “And once they settled in and they felt comfortable with what we were doing, that’s when they got really good defensively.”
The Warriors got back within single digits with a quick 7-0 run. David Tate’s two layins bookended a 3-pointer by Joe Rush. But Jenkins got the last basket of the half, and the Greyhounds were up comfortably, 22-14, at the break.
Carmel led 28-17 with 4:26 to go in the third period, with Owens and Mulloy making layins and senior Eddie Gill draining a couple free throws. But the Warriors made an 11-2 run to get within 30-28 before another Jenkins jumper kept the ‘Hounds ahead 32-28 at the end of three.
“The seniors have been great,” said Osborn. “We go from the beginning of the year, the pre-season stuff and just bringing them along as this transition was going on. They were bought in from the beginning and it was a learning process, it was a coming-together process. They never wavered, through good times, through hard times, through some losses, I thought they bonded together as a group. And that’s why I’m so proud of them.”
Rush’s layin got Warren Central ahead 33-32 early in the fourth, the Warriors’ first lead in a while. Gill threw in a ‘3’ to put Carmel ahead. Warren took the lead back with free throws, and Mulloy answered that with two foul shots of his own. Carmel led 37-36 with 5:17 left.
But the Warriors had claimed the momentum, and rolled through the fourth by scoring 26 points. Dean Tate hit a 3-pointer to put Warren ahead 39-38 and the Warriors would not trail again. Carmel kept making big baskets to stay close, but Warren started running the clock down in the last three minutes and Carmel was forced to foul.
The Warriors made 12 of 14 free throws in the final two minutes of the game. A 3-pointer from senior Jalen Whack made the score 50-48 with less than 20 seconds to go, but Tate finished the game by making his last four free throws. Tate set a new 4A record for highest free throw percentage: Tate converted 13 of 14 attempts, 92.9 percent.
Mulloy scored 21 points for the Greyhounds and also pulled eight rebounds. Jenkins and Gill both scored eight points, with Gill and Owens each grabbing six rebounds. Tate led all scorers with 22 points, while Cushingberry added 10 points.
“I thought our guys battled,” said Osborn. “I thought they competed. I’m proud of them. I couldn’t be more proud of them to be in this situation and give themselves a chance. Warren made the plays. They’re a good team. They’re undefeated for a reason and they played a tough schedule. You got to give a lot credit to them.”
“Obviously we wanted to win this last one, but I couldn’t be happier for these guys and myself,” said Whack. “We went through so much this year. We started off with a lot of injuries. We lost a couple close games.”
But Whack said the team decided to stick together – just “do what we do,” he said. If the Greyhounds made a team effort, they thought they could go far.
“I think we did that,” said Whack.
Whack won the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award at the conclusion of the game. Whack holds a 3.61 grade-point average and is a Carmel Scholar Athlete and received Academic All-State Honorable Mention from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. He is the son of Sheila Stewart and Franklin Whack.
“It means a lot,” said Whack. “I give a lot of credit to my parents for raising me and teaching me self-discipline, just go hard in everything I do. I’m a student-athlete and student comes before athlete.”
Carmel finished the season 21-8 and was making its seventh appearance at the state finals.
Warren Central 54, Carmel 48
Warren Central FG FT TP PF
Antwaan Cushingberry 4-12 0-0 10 1
Dean Tate 4-12 13-14 22 3
Jesse Bingham 1-4 2-2 4 2
David Bell 1-4 3-8 5 5
Jakobie Robinson 2-3 0-0 5 3
Joe Rush 3-6 1-2 8 4
Jaylen Moore 0-0 0-0 0 2
Shawn Beeler 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 15-41 19-26 54 20
Warren Central 3-point shooting (5-13) Cushingberry 2-3, Tate 1-6, Rush 1-2, Robinson 1-1, Bell 0-1.
Warren Central rebounds (22) Bell 7, Robinson 5, Tate 3, Cushingberry 2, Bingham 2, Rush 2, team 1.
Carmel FG FT TP PF
Cole Jenkins 3-10 2-5 8 4
Eddie Gill 1-6 5-6 8 5
Luke Heady 0-2 2-2 2 5
Andrew Owens 3-5 0-0 6 2
John Michael Mulloy 6-7 9-12 21 4
Jalen Whack 1-3 0-0 3 3
Alex Jackson 0-0 0-0 0 0
Karsten Windlan 0-0 0-0 0 1
Totals 14-33 18-25 48 24
Carmel 3-point shooting (2-10) Jenkins Gill 1-2, Whack 1-2, Jenkins 0-4, Heady 0-2.
Carmel rebounds (29) Mulloy 8, Jenkins 6, Owens 6, Gill 2, Heady 2, Whack 1, team 4.
Score by Quarters
Warren Central 7 7 14 26 – 54
Carmel 6 16 10 16 – 48
The Carmel boys basketball team fell in the Class 4A state championship game to Warren Central 54-48 Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. (Richie Hall)
Carmel’s Jalen Whack won the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award. (Richie Hall)