By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
Carmel loves to win championships of any sort, so if a Greyhound team is in the final of an event, there’s never a question of motivation.
But just in case…
When the Carmel girls basketball team went to the Hall of Fame Museum Thursday before practicing for their games at the Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic, the players noticed the balls from previous Classics.
“Girls, have you seen a ball that’s got Carmel winning?” asked coach Tod Windlan. The girls looked around. “No. They got beat here, and they got beat here…”
“Exactly,” said Windlan.
So much for a question of motivation. The Class 4A No. 2 Greyhounds finally broke through at the Hall of Fame Classic, defeating Martinsville 68-55 in the semi-finals and Zionsville 75-51 in the championship of the prestigious annual event that takes place at the New Castle Fieldhouse.
“We wanted to win it,” said Windlan after the championship game finished. “We wanted to win it for the community and we wanted to win it for our seniors. You only get to play in this once every four years. We won’t be back for a while, so we want to take care of business while we were here and we did.”
“It’s awesome,” said Carmel senior Tomi Taiwo. “We’re just trying to leave our mark on this season and this is a great way to start out.”
The Greyhounds battled with the Eagles in the championship for a little over a quarter, and were in fact down 24-23 early in the second. That changed quickly, though, as Carmel went on an 11-2 run to get ahead 34-26.
Mackenzie Wood started the run with a layin, then Taiwo hit a 3-pointer.
“Amy (Dilk) found her,” said Windlan. “She had seven assists tonight and that was a huge assist for us to get her. And then we got a turnover. (The lead) jumped up to 10 pretty quick on them.”
Jasmine McWilliams helped out with a traditional three-point play. Reagan Hune got a steal that was sent to Taiwo for an easy layin.
Soon it was halftime, and Carmel led 41-31 at that point. McWilliams ended the half with two free throws, which was the start of an 8-0 run that carried the ‘Hounds to a 47-31 lead. McWilliams made four free throws – she was 6-for-6 in that run – and Taiwo finished things off with a basket.
From that point on, Carmel slowly extended its lead. Zionsville got to within 53-45 late in the third, but Taiwo pushed it back up to 56-45 by making a 3 with seconds left in the period. Maddi Sears opened the fourth quarter with a jumper, then Hune hit a 3-pointer.
Taiwo finished the game with 22 points, while Dilk added 10 points. Dilk handed out seven assists for the game and made five steals, with Taiwo getting five steals as well. McWilliams led the rebounding with eight, followed by Blake Smith and Taiwo with five boards each.
“Coach has always drilled in us, ‘Do what you do, don’t try to do what other people do. Just do what your role is,'” said Taiwo. “And everyone has really found their role, found their place on this team.”
Taiwo was named as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, with Dilk also making the All-Tournament Team.
“I thought she got overlooked last year on the Junior All-Star Team,” said Windlan of Taiwo. “She’s a tremendous player. You don’t go to the Big Ten and play at a school like Iowa and be a good high school player. You got to be a great high school player and she is.”
In the morning semi-final game, Carmel led the Artesians 21-17 after the first quarter and 35-27 at halftime. The Greyhounds then outscored Martinsville 19-11 in the fourth period to clinch their place in the final.
Taiwo drained five 3-pointers on her way to 27 points, with Dilk scoring 18 and McWilliams earning a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Dilk also had six steals and four assists, with Taiwo blocking two shots.
The Carmel girls basketball team won the school’s first-ever Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic Friday at the New Castle Fieldhouse. The Greyhounds beat Martinsville in the semi-finals and Zionsville in the championship. (Richie Hall)
Carmel’s Tomi Taiwo was named the Most Valuable Player of the Hall of Fame Classic. (Kirk Green)