No. 3 Carmel entered Thursday night's game giving up an average of 41.1 points, and the Greyhounds showed they can shut down any team. Lawrence North struggled to score for three quarters as Carmel cruised to a 63-49 win.

 

Without Brian Waddell, nursing an ankle injury, Carmel needed someone to step up offensively. The Hounds found a host of bench players rise to the occasion. After only scoring two points in nearly six minutes, Nick Frische and Will Leary scored at the end of the period to give Carmel an 8-5 advantage. Leary opened the second quarter with spot-up three, and Carmel started to roll. For the game, Carmel received 34 points off the bench.

 

 

After scoring five points in the first period, Lawrence North only managed two three-pointers in the second as McCoyion Brown and Shamar Avance connected on triples. Outside of that, Carmel locked down the Wildcat offense. The Hounds were keeping LN out of the paint, and the Lawrence North offense became stagnant. 

 

 

To end the first half, Frische found Pete Suder for a corner three. That gave Carmel a 19-11 lead at the break. In the third, it was Suder and sophomore Sam Orme leading the way. Orme, a lanky sophomore, is a pure shooter, and he kept finding open looks beyond the arc. He knocked down three triples in the third as Suder fed him a couple of times. Suder also stepped up his scoring in the second half. The duo scored 16 of Carmel's 19 third-quarter points. The Hounds took a 38-20 lead to the fourth.

 

 

Butler signee DJ Hughes battled foul trouble throughout and picked up his fifth foul 13 seconds into the fourth quarter. Lawrence North upped its defensive pressure in the final period, and Carmel showed some cracks. The Greyhounds turned the ball over five times. That might not seem like much, but Carmel is known for its ball control. Avance found more shots, and Donaven McCulley scored inside for LN. 

 

 

The full-court pressure and sense of urgency from Lawrence North were futile. Bryce Beery made a living finishing at the basket after Carmel broke LN's pressure. He scored ten fourth-quarter points. Carmel's lead was cut to 12 points with a minute to play, but the Greyhounds were never in danger of losing the game. 

 

 

Carmel coasted to a 63-49 win.

 

 

The Hounds went 9-12 from the three-point range and 22-37 overall. That equals an effective field goal percentage of 71.6.

 

 

Lawrence North's offense was fine - 1.07 points per possession - but the Wildcats could not slow down Carmel at any point.

 

 

Suder finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and only one turnover. Leary and Orme each scored 11 points off the bench. Beery added 10 points, and Whacked score eight. Connor Gioia tallied two points, eight assists, and six rebounds.

 

 

Avance led Lawrence North with 14 points and three assists. Brown scored 11; McCulley recorded ten points and ten rebounds. Gunn added eight points.