By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – When it comes to the defense of the Carmel boys basketball team, senior Josh Whack said something that could also be used as a mission statement for the Greyhounds team.
“Every possession is the biggest possession,” said Whack.
Carmel plays by that philosophy, and it gave the Greyhounds another big win Wednesday at the Eric Clark Activity Center. In a match-up of ranked teams, Class 4A No. 3 Carmel beat 4A No. 2 Valparaiso 45-32.
The Vikings had come into the game unbeaten at 7-0 and were averaging 70 points per game. But the Greyhounds were relentless in the middle quarters of the game, and that was more than enough to lead them to the win.
The first period was close, with Carmel finishing the quarter ahead 12-11. Charlie Williams scored four points, while Peter Suder made a 3-pointer. Whack was good on a three-point play and Sam Orme added a basket as well.
The Greyhounds took control in the second period. Orme opened the quarter with a 3, then after a Valpo basket, Carmel went on an 11-0 run. Williams scored six points during that time, including a 4-of-4 effort from the free-throw line. Spencer White threw in a 3 as well.
“We feed off of each other,” said Whack. “Anybody on our team can score, so if one person is having a night, we will look to get them the ball.”
The Vikings made a foul shot to end the half, and the Greyhounds led 26-14 at the break. Carmel kept rolling in the third quarter, pouring in another 14 points. Whack scored seven of them, nailing two 3s.
Carmel finished the period on a 6-0 run, including a dunk from Jared Bonds while being fouled. Bonds made the free throw for the and-1, and Williams’ basket completed the third-quarter scoring, giving the ‘Hounds a 40-18 lead.
“I thought it set a pretty good tone for us,” said Carmel coach Ryan Osborn. “It got us off to a good start. Built a lead for us.”
Valparaiso tried to turn the tables during the fourth quarter, where it outscored the Greyhounds 14-5. Vikings star Mason Jones scored 12 of those points. But the big lead Carmel had built during the middle quarter gave it enough breathing room to hold fast against Valpo’s final run.
“Got to finish games,” said Osborn. “Got to learn from the last quarter. We got a veteran group and we got to close games.”
Williams scored 16 points, including a 6-of-6 effort from the free-throw line. Whack had 11 points. Garwey Dual and Suder each collected eight rebounds, and Dual blocked two shots.
“We’re doing some good things,” said Osborn. “I don’t think you get to the middle of December and want to be your best. We’re certainly not our best, but we’re doing some good things. And if we continue to defend and buy into that, then it buys us some time to figure out the offensive end.”
Carmel is 7-2 and plays next Thursday at Anderson.
CARMEL 45, VALPARAISO 32
Carmel FG FT TP PF
Josh Whack 3-4 3-5 11 0
Peter Suder 1-5 0-0 3 1
Sam Orme 2-8 0-0 5 4
Burke Weldy 0-1 0-0 0 0
Charlie Williams 5-5 6-6 16 5
Garwey Dual 1-4 0-0 2 0
Spencer White 1-2 0-0 3 1
Jared Bonds 1-3 3-3 5 1
Andrew Clevenger 0-0 0-0 0 0
Josh Rauh 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 14-32 12-14 45 12
Score by Quarters
Valparaiso 11 3 4 14 – 32
Carmel 12 14 14 5 – 45
Carmel 3-point shooting (5-16) Whack 2-3, Orme 1-6, Suder 1-4, White 1-2, Weldy 0-1.
Carmel rebounds (29) Dual 8, Suder 8, White 4, Bonds 4, Orme 2, Williams 2, Whack 1.