By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
Carmel finally cleared the Fort Wayne regional hurdle on Saturday – twice.
The Greyhounds took down two of the Summit City’s best to win the Class 4A Logansport regional, their first regional championship since 2013. Tenth-ranked Carmel held off Homestead 46-41 in the semi-final, then defeated Fort Wayne North Side 54-42 in the championship.
With the win, the Greyhounds (20-7) are back in the semi-state championship. Carmel will play that game next Saturday (March 17) at Lafayette Jefferson and take on No. 1-ranked and unbeaten (26-0) South Bend Riley. The game is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m., following the 3A north semi-state game between Culver Academies and New Castle.
“It’s amazing,” said Greyhounds senior Jalen Whack. “We’re clicking at the right time.” He said the team had a “rough start” in the beginning due to injuries, but now Carmel has won 12 of its last 14 games.
“We came together,” said Whack. “We finally trust in each other and we’re seeing how it’s paying off for us.”
The ‘Hounds trusted themselves and kept their composure early, after North Side took a 9-4 lead midway through the first quarter. Carmel coach Ryan Osborn called a 30-second timeout, and that helped the Greyhounds regroup: John Michael Mulloy scored on a layin and Eddie Gill tied the game with a 3-pointer.
The Legends’ Keion Brooks gave his team the lead back with a 3, making the score 12-9. But after that, Carmel took over. The ‘Hounds finished the first period with an 8-0 run to lead 17-12, with Mulloy adding four more points, including a dunk.
“Early we didn’t get the ball inside enough,” said Osborn. “And when we did, we either got fouled or we got a good look. I thought we were impatient in getting it in there. When we finally got it back in there and made them guard John Michael in the post, that’s when the game changed.
“(No.) 12 (Brooks) had two early fouls and then got his third, and they kind of took him out of it defensively, and our guys were able to step up and make plays because he didn’t want to get his fourth.”
The ‘Hounds began to stretch their lead in the second quarter, going up 29-20 at halftime. Whack scored six points in that period, Gill converted a three-point play and Karsten Windlan finished the half with a 3-pointer.
The momentum continued to go Carmel’s way in the third, which saw the Greyhounds lead by as much as 38-23 late in the period. Andrew Owens scored seven points in that quarter, and it was his layin early in the fourth that gave Carmel its largest lead of the game at 44-27.
North Side tried to make a final push, and to the Legends’ credit, kept fighting to the end. But the Greyhounds were simply too far ahead to be threatened. Carmel finished the game from the free throw line, making 10 of 12 attempts.
“The assistants have done a heck of job, just in preparation and getting stuff ready,” said Osborn. “We got done with the first game, and the guys had some stuff together, and we met after the game and put a plan together. Guys worked hard. They stay up late at night. People don’t see the hours they put in, but the staff we have here is unbelievable and they’ve done a great job. And then you’ve got to give credit to the kids, because in a very short amount of time, they put a plan into execution and did a great job tonight.”
Owens and Whack both scored 13 points for the Greyhounds. Mulloy finished with nine rebounds, while Whack collected six and Owens had five. Luke Heady dished out four assists and made two blocks.
In the semi-final game, Carmel survived a big comeback from Homestead. The ‘Hounds skipped out to a 5-0 lead early in the first, and at one point were up 25-14 in the second quarter before settling for a 25-17 halftime advantage.
A basket by Owens put Carmel up 34-28 at the end of three. The Spartans came back to tie the game at 34-all, but the Greyhounds were again solid from the line, with Owens hitting a pair with 12 seconds left to clinch the game.
Whack scored 12 points, while he, Mulloy and Cole Jenkins all pulled six rebounds. Owens corralled five rebounds. Jenkins and Owens each added nine points.
The win at Logansport marked the ninth regional championship for Carmel.
SEMI-FINAL GAME
Carmel 46, Homestead 41
Carmel FG FT TP PF
Cole Jenkins 3-7 2-2 9 1
Eddie Gill 1-2 1-2 4 3
Luke Heady 1-4 0-0 3 2
Andrew Owens 3-7 2-2 9 2
John Michael Mulloy 0-3 7-10 7 4
Jalen Whack 4-5 2-2 12 1
Alex Jackson 0-1 0-0 0 1
Karsten Windlan 0-0 2-2 2 1
Totals 12-29 16-20 46 15
Score by Quarters
Carmel 11 14 9 12 – 46
Homestead 5 12 11 13 – 41
Carmel 3-point shooting (6-13) Whack 2-2, Owens 1-4, Jenkins 1-3, Heady 1-2, Gill 1-1, Jackson 0-1.
Carmel rebounds (27) Jenkins 6, Whack 6, Mulloy 6, Owens 5, Gill 2, Jackson 1, team 1.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Carmel 54, Fort Wayne North Side 42
Carmel FG FT TP PF
Cole Jenkins 2-3 0-0 4 2
Eddie Gill 2-4 3-4 8 5
Luke Heady 1-4 2-2 4 4
Andrew Owens 4-6 4-4 13 2
John Michael Mulloy 2-9 2-2 6 5
Jalen Whack 4-9 5-7 13 2
Karsten Windlan 1-1 2-2 5 1
Alex Jackson 0-0 0-0 0 0
Ben Frische 0-1 1-2 1 0
Totals 16-37 19-23 54 21
Score by Quarters
North Side 12 8 6 16 – 42
Carmel 17 12 11 14 – 54
Carmel 3-point shooting (3-7) Gill 1-1, Windlan 1-1, Owens 1-1, Whack 0-2, Jenkins 0-1, Heady 0-1.
Carmel rebounds (32) Mulloy 9, Whack 6, Owens 5, Gill 4, Jenkins 3, Heady 1, Frische 1, team 3.
Carmel seniors Jalen Whack, Cole Jenkins, Eddie Gill and Alex Jackson show off the regional plaque after the Greyhounds beat Fort Wayne North Side 54-42 in the final of the Logansport regional Saturday. Carmel will play South Bend Riley next Saturday in the Lafayette Jefferson semi-state. (Richie Hall)