By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
The sheer number of points that the Carmel girls basketball team can put on the board is usually with the casual observer first notices when going through the Greyhounds’ scores this season.
That doesn’t mean one should forget about the Carmel defense. It’s pretty good, too. The Class 4A No. 1-ranked ‘Hounds had their full defensive powers on display Tuesday at the Eric Clark Activity Center, as they overwhelmed county rival Noblesville 78-41.
“I thought for three quarters we played really well,” said Carmel coach Tod Windlan. “I thought we shared the ball really well. We ran the floor really well.”
The Greyhounds used a relentless full-court press during the first half, forcing several turnovers that resulted in Carmel baskets. The ‘Hounds built their lead steadily, with an 11-3 advantage becoming 23-4, then 25-5 by the end of the first quarter. Tomi Taiwo was unstoppable, with 11 points in that period.
Blake Smith had a great game as well. Smith showed her will when she scored on a third offensive rebound. Those were the first two points for Smith; she totaled eight in the first quarter and reached 10 by opening the second period with a layin.
A run of eight unanswered points made the Carmel lead 35-7 midway through the second quarter. Noblesville’s Madison Whetro ended that run with a 3-pointer, but the Greyhounds kept going, outscoring the Millers 11-5 to take a 46-15 halftime lead. Amy Dilk scored six points in the final three minutes of the half.
Carmel continued to cruise through the second half, leading 59-23 after three quarters. Smith and Taiwo both added four more points to their scoring totals; Taiwo ended the game with 19 points while Smith had 14.
Molly Gillg scored nine points, including a 3-pointer in the second quarter. Dilk finished with eight points and was all over the stat line: She dished out 10 assists and made six steals. Maddi Sears hit a couple 3s on her way to eight points.
“Just fun to watch them play like that when they’re that unselfish,” said Windlan.
Smith pulled seven rebounds, while Taiwo had five boards and four assists. Jasmine McWilliams collected five rebounds and made five steals.
Emily Kiser finished the game with 15 points, along with eight rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. Whetro added 11 points.
“They’re really good,” said Noblesville coach Donna Buckley. The Millers are now 4-3 for the season.
“I think we learned a lot about ourselves,” said Buckley. “Honestly, I thought we played so much better than what we played against Brownsburg. I thought we played with a lot more intensity and purpose. We just ran into a really good basketball team tonight.”
The Greyhounds are back in action Friday with a huge afternoon game: Carmel will travel to 4A No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern for a 2:30 p.m. tipoff. Noblesville travels to Avon on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. Hoosier Crossroads Conference game.