By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – Carmel boys basketball coach Ryan Osborn was wearing a blue ribbon and had just taken a picture with his state champion team when he said this: “It’s special. Carmel is special.”
It was indeed a special Saturday night for the Greyhounds. Carmel had to battle from start to finish before finally getting past Metropolitan Conference rival Ben Davis 60-55 to win the Class 4A boys basketball state championship in front of a packed Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The ‘Hounds finished their season at 26-1 and claimed the big trophy after being denied it last year.
Saturday night’s victory marked the fourth state championship for Carmel in boys basketball, making it only the eighth school in IHSAA history to win so many titles. The Greyhounds also won state in 1977, 2012 and 2013.
“Carmel is special,” said Osborn, who was an assistant coach for the Greyhounds’ 2012 and 2013 state championship and took his team to state in his first year as head coach last season. “Across the board. Our administration, the support, the community. And it’s hard to describe. It’s great kids, great families, people that work hard. It’s a great place to be and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it. And the winning helps, too.”
The winning was fun, but it certainly wasn’t easy. Although Carmel never trailed and the game was only tied once (2-2 in the first quarter), the Giants gave the Greyhounds a difficult battle for the entire game. Carmel never led by more than nine points, and Ben Davis answered every run that the ‘Hounds made.
“They were tough in the first game and they were even tougher this game,” said Carmel senior Luke Heady. “And they battled us through it all.”
The Greyhounds made their first big run of the game during the latter minutes of the first quarter, scoring seven unanswered points to go up 15-6. Senior John Michael Mulloy started the run with a dunk, then senior Andrew Owens nailed a 3-pointer. Freshman Pete Suder hit a floater to put Carmel up by nine, and the ‘Hounds eventually ended the first period ahead 17-11.
Suder scored on a tip back to give the ‘Hounds another nine-point lead at 21-12. But that’s when Ben Davis made its first big run, scoring seven straight points of their own. Dawand Jones, a 6-9 center headed to Ohio State on a football scholarship, made layins that sandwiched a 3-pointer from Kai Hickman-Steinman.
After a timeout, Mulloy made a quick layin to get Carmel back up by four, but Hickman-Steinman’s basket cut it to 23-21. That would be the story of the second period, which finished with four straight free throws by BD’s Jalen Windham, keeping the Giants within 31-30 at halftime.
Mulloy opened the second half with a basket, which Windham answered with a layin. Now leading 33-32, Carmel went on another 7-0 run. Suder scored on a layin, then made a steal, sent the ball to Karsten Windlan, who drained a 3-pointer. Suder put in another basket to get the ‘Hounds up 40-32.
“As a freshman to step up like that and make plays, he made plays all year long and especially in the tournament,” said Heady. “He’s going to be really, really, really special.”
“Man, he was unbelievable,” said Osborn. “Everywhere. Made big plays and has fun doing it. He’s fun to watch, fun to coach. Enjoy coaching him for another three years. He’s a heck of a kid, too.”
The Giants scored the last five points of the third quarter. Jaylen Jennings converted a three-point play with 2:43 to go, then Jones made an off-balance basket at the buzzer, keeping Ben Davis with 40-37.
Owens started the fourth period with back-to-back scores, pushing Carmel ahead 44-37. The Giants cut that lead to 44-43 with a 6-0 run, starting with four more free throws with Windham, then Jones scored again. But Carmel always made the big basket when it needed to: Owens nailed a 3 to get Carmel up by four.
The ‘Hounds called timeout with 2:03 left, leading 48-45, then went on a 6-0 run to lead 54-45. Suder hit a layin, then Heady and Windlan each hit a pair of foul shots. The Giants ramped up their defense during the last minute of the game, but Carmel held tough, making 4 of 6 foul shots in the final 23.2 seconds to ice the game.
“A lot of credit to the seniors,” said Osborn. “They’re grounded, they’re humble, they’re hard workers, they’re together. Everything that we try to embody in Carmel basketball is what the senior class gave us this year. To finish it like this, as a coach, makes me so happy for them. More than anything, we want them to experience it and enjoy it.”
Suder, the freshman, led the Greyhounds scoring with 14 points. Mulloy was next with 13, followed by Windlan with 11 and Owens with 10. All seven players that took to the court for Carmel scored, with Heady adding seven points. Robert Fry and Ben Frische came off the bench to score three and two points respectively.
Once the game was over, Carmel received another honor: Mulloy won the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award for 4A boys basketball. Mulloy, the son of Chris and Stacy Mulloy, was a three-year starter for the Greyhounds and is headed to Butler University to play basketball and study Business Management/Communications. Mulloy was honored to participate in two state championship games.
“It’s an honor to be a part of it,” said Mulloy. “I love Carmel.”
“So deserving,” said Osborn. “Couldn’t be a better kid.” In fact, the coach believes another Mulloy deserving of another big honor: Mr. Basketball.
“And why not?” said Osborn. “We could sell our season on getting the ball to John Michael and he would have the numbers. But we don’t. John Michael committed to winning. He was in back to back state championships, leads a team through two tournament runs, plays in the state championship game his junior and senior year, because he doesn’t care about the numbers. He wants to win. In my opinion, he’s just as much of a Mr. Basketball as there is anybody in the state.”
Carmel 60, Ben Davis 55
Carmel FG FT TP PF
Karsten Windlan 2-6 6-8 11 3
Pete Suder 7-11 0-1 14 3
Luke Heady 0-0 7-12 7 4
Andrew Owens 4-13 0-0 10 2
John Michael Mulloy 6-11 1-5 13 4
Robert Fry 1-2 1-2 3 2
Ben Frische 0-0 2-2 2 0
Totals 20-43 17-30 60 18
Carmel 3-point shooting (3-11) Owens 2-6, Windlan 1-2, Mulloy 0-2, Suder 0-1.
Carmel rebounds (33) Owens 8, Suder 7, Mulloy 6, Windlan 5, Heady 2, Fry 1, Frische 1, team 3.
Ben Davis FG FT TP PF
Cameron Maul 2-7 0-0 5 5
Dominic Day II 0-1 0-0 0 3
Jalen Windham 4-13 13-14 22 3
Jeffrey Clayton 1-2 0-0 2 0
Dawand Jones 7-12 2-6 16 2
Tyreese Nibbs 1-1 0-0 2 2
Kai Hickman-Steinman 2-3 0-0 5 5
Jamari London 0-0 0-0 0 1
Jaylen Jennings 1-1 1-1 3 2
James Webster IV 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 18-40 16-21 55 23
Ben Davis 3-point shooting (3-15) Windham 1-7, Maul 1-5, Hickman-Steinman 1-2, Day 0-1.
Ben Davis rebounds (22) Jones 9, Windham 3, Clayton 3, Nibbs 2, Hickman-Steinman 2, London 2, team 1.
Score by Quarters
Carmel 17 14 9 20 – 60
Ben Davis 11 19 7 18 – 55
The Carmel boys basketball team toughed out a win over Ben Davis 60-55 to claim the Class 4A state championship on Saturday. This is the fourth win in program history for the Greyhounds, following state titles in 1977, 2012 and 2013. (Kirk Green)
Carmel’s John Michael Mulloy won the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award. Mulloy will play for Butler University next year. (Kirk Green)