An all-county boys basketball game went Carmel’s way last Saturday.
The Greyhounds hosted Westfield at the Eric Clark Activity Center, and pulled away in the second half for a 49-38 victory. Carmel led 11-8 after one period, with Spencer White making a 3-pointer on his way to scoring seven points in the quarter.
The Shamrocks came back to lead 21-20 at halftime. Four different Westfield players scored, led by Trey Buchanan’s five points. The Rocks led 19-14 after Buchanan hit a 3-pointer, but Carmel made three triples, including two by Alex Couto, to get back into the game.
The Greyhounds took over in the third quarter, outscoring Westfield 16-5 for a 36-26 lead. Sam Orme got going with seven points, while Couto nailed another 3. Carmel then added 13 more points in the fourth to seal the win, holding off the Shamrocks, who had Alex Romack score seven during that period.
Couto scored 14 points, followed by Orme with 13 and White with 10 points. Ryan Clevenger added nine points and Logan Reinhart finished the scoring with three points.
Romack led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Buchanan with eight. Charles Farrell and Armani Middlebrooks both added four points, Caleb Wise scored three and Sam Bishop had two points.
FRIDAY GAMES
Westfield got a comeback victory last Friday night at CSI Gymnasium, roaring through the third quarter to beat Yorkton 59-47 for its sixth consecutive win.
The Shamrocks led 15-11 after one period, with Romack scoring six points. The Tigers dominated the second quarter, allowing Westfield only four points. Yorktown held a 26-19 halftime lead, but the Rocks blasted back, outscoring the Tigers 21-8 in the third period.
Wise came off the bench to lead the way for Westfield in that quarter, scoring eight points, including a 3-pointer. Buchanan also threw in a 3; both he and Romack scored five in the third. The Rocks led 40-34 once the dust settled, and they cruised through the fourth quarter with 19 points to seal the win.
Romack finished the game with 16 points, while Buchanan nailed three 3s on his way to 15 points. Farrell had eight points, as did Wise.
Also last Friday night, two longtime rivals got together in Greenwood at Center Grove for the 26th meeting in their series.
Center Grove and Carmel went toe-to-toe in a top 10 matchup that gave the fans their money’s worth, but the Greyhounds fell to the Trojans, 43-41.
The Trojans got off to a great start in the first, getting a comfortable lead at 18-11 and would be able to lengthen their advantage at halftime to 27-18.
Carmel still trailed through three periods, 37-29, but they made some headway for a comeback.
The ‘Hounds were able to put their defense to the test in the fourth quarter and it worked, for the most part.
They doubled up the host Trojans in the final frame 12-6, and tied the game at 41-41 with just one second left.
Marcus Ankney sank his only two free throw attempts of the game with just one second left, giving Center Grove a 43-41 win over Carmel.
This was the first win for Center Grove in this series of former MIC opponents since Jan. 7, 2011, snapping Carmel’s 11-game winning streak against the Trojans.
Orme led the Greyhounds with a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds, while shooting 6-for-11 from floor and going 6-of-6 at the foul line. White added eight and Couto six.
Carmel is 8-4 and hosts Cathedral on Wednesday before playing at Fort Wayne Snider on Saturday. Westfield is 8-2 and plays Friday at Hamilton Southeastern as part of a Hoosier Crossroads Conference girls-boys doubleheader.