(Brian Waddell had 18 points and 12 rebounds to power Carmel)

 

Familiar conference foes Lawrence North and Carmel battled into overtime for the 2021 IHSAA 4A boys basketball title. The Greyhounds won the nailbiter to win its second consecutive state championship.

 

Lawrence North could not have asked for a better start. On the opening possession, Shamar Avance found DJ Hughes slipping to the basket for an easy bucket. After Carmel’s Pete Suder missed a shot, Kayden Beatty scored on the other end. Lawrence North came out pressuring full court to increase the tempo. It sped Carmel up, which is rare. The Greyhounds turned the ball over three times in a row which helped Lawrence North take a 6-0 lead.

 

After a Ryan Osborn timeout, Carmel found its footing. Brian Waddell and Connor Gioia knocked down triples then Waddell tallied an old-fashioned three-point play. That accounted for a Greyhounds’ 9-0 run to finish the first quarter.

 

To begin the second quarter, Suder scored to give Carmel a 13-8 lead. Waddell was huge for the Greyhounds with ten first-half points.

 

After a quiet start, Lawrence North junior CJ Gunn scored on back-to-back possessions to get the Wildcats rolling. Like Gunn, Donaven McCulley did not score in the opening quarter but picked up the slack for Lawrence North with eight points in the second quarter. All season, McCulley seemed to produce for LN when it was needed most.

 

Early in the second half, Avance shook his way to the basket for a score plus the free throw. Those were Avance’s first points of the game. He did dish out four assists in the first half. Avance’s and-one tied the game at 25.

 

It did not take long for Suder to grab the lead back for Carmel. He had a driving score, then Charlie Williams threw a great pass to Suder in the lane for a layup. After a few empty possessions by each team, Waddell drove the baseline for a one-hand dunk plus the foul to cap Carmel’s 7-0 run.

 

Like many times in the second half, Gunn answered back for Lawrence North. The Indiana University commitment scored to end the third and opened the fourth with a triple. The athletic guard then intercepted a Connor Gioia pass before taking it for a score on the other end. Gunn’s 7-0 run tied the game a minute and 15 seconds into the fourth.

 

On the ensuing possession, Hughes grabbed a Lawrence North miss and put it back to give the Wildcats a 34-32 lead. It was LN’s first lead since late in the first half.

 

A minute later, Waddell ran the baseline to get an open three-pointer, and he made it count.

 

Carmel uncharacteristically struggled with turnovers all game. Lawrence North forced the Greyhounds into a couple of crucial turnovers late in regulation. For the game, Carmel committed 17 turnovers. Lawrence North was great at pushing the ball to the corners and trapping. Every pass and catch was an adventure for Carmel.

 

With 1:45 left in regulation, Gunn converted two free throws. The first one hit every part of the rim twice before falling.

 

After Gunn tied the game, Kayden Beatty came flying in to steal the ball from Suder and get it to Hughes before falling out of bounds. That summed up Beatty’s performance all year – aggressive and clutch.

 

Free throws haunted Lawrence North. The Wildcats went 6-17 from the charity stripe including a few front-ends of the bonus. Conversely, Carmel went 20-25. 

 

With the game tied, Waddell found a seam down the middle of the lane and scored at the rim. Gunn pushed the ball into the lane and was fouled. He calmly made both free throws to tie the game.

 

Carmel worked the clock before getting a Waddell three-point attempt at the top of the key. It was off the mark, but Beatty traveled after pulling down the rebound.

 

With 0.3 seconds on the clock, McCulley intercepted the lob play to end regulation.

 

To kick off the overtime, Gioia stepped into a left-wing three-pointer. He went three of four from deep in the game to account for all nine of his points.

 

Midway through overtime, McCulley and Hughes scored in the lane to tie the game.

 

Late in overtime, Josh Whack started to live at the line. He went five of six from the stripe as Lawrence North hit a cold streak.

 

Gunn snapped the drought with a big-time three-pointer from the top of the key. That cut Carmel’s lead to 47-46. On the other end, Waddell splashed two freebies.

 

With 30 seconds left, Gunn had a contested shot to tie the game, but it was off the mark.

 

Whack iced the game with two more free throws to give Carmel the 51-46 win.

 

Waddell led all scorers with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Whack, thanks to seven free throws, tallied 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Gioia recorded nine points. Suder ended with six points and five rebounds. Williams had five points, five rebounds, three blocks, and two assists.

 

In the loss, Gunn scored 18 points with three rebounds. Hughes recorded 12 points and two steals. McCulley tallied 11 points and four boards. Avance had three points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

 

This was Carmel’s second straight state title. The Greyhounds finished 26-2.

 

Lawrence North ended its season 28-3.