Carmel dominated the regular-season meeting in January, 54-30, but Westfield’s Braden Smith tore up the first two games of the sectional – 41 points against Noblesville and 23 points, eight assists vs. Zionsville. Could Westfield get over Carmel for its first sectional title?

That answer was unveiled rather quickly.

Carmel grabbed the lead early with a three-pointer from Brian Waddell and an inside score from Charlie Williams. Throughout the game, that was a common theme for Carmel. The Greyhounds found the shots they wanted – Williams inside, Pete Suder/Connor Gioia slashing to the basket, and Waddell from three – then cashed them in. Carmel took an 8-2 lead before Smith’s shooting helped Westfield close the gap. Smith scored the first 11 points for Westfield.

The Greyhounds built a ten-point lead early in the second quarter before Smith and Cam Haffner scored four-straight points. Carmel bounced right back with seven consecutive as Gioia, Williams, and Will Leary converted in the halfcourt to end the half.

Carmel’s run extended into the second half as Josh Whack and Gioia found Williams at the basket. It was a 17-point lead, and the Hounds did not look back. Carmel continued to take advantage of Westfield’s lack of size and hit Williams rolling to the basket time after time.

Midway through the third, there was a loose ball on Carmel’s side of the court. Gioia picked it up and found Waddell for a two-handed dunk. That took all the air out of Westfield’s sails. That play made it a 19-point game.

In the second half, Whack did a great job of taking away Smith’s space. The Westfield guard finished with 18 points, but he was only 6-15 from the field, and every point was earned.

Carmel was in cruise control the entire second half on its way to the 53-27 victory.

For the game, Carmel scored 1.4 per possession. That is an insane rate.

Williams led Carmel with 19 points and six rebounds. He was 9-10 from the field and grabbed the offensive rebound on his only miss. Waddell added 13 points and four rebounds. Gioia and Whack each scored seven points. Whack also had four assists. Suder filled the stat sheet with four points, six rebounds, and five assists.

This is Carmel’s seventh-straight sectional title.