(Sam Orme pictured in May 2021)

 

Indiana Basketball Source's 4A No. 4 Carmel survived a late burst from North Central to win 45-41.

 

Carmel junior Sam Orme is having an up and down season, but he sprinted out of the gates Friday night. He scored on Carmel's first possession and tallied six first-quarter points for the Greyhounds.

 

Despite Orme's early scoring, it was not a walk in the park for Carmel. After Joey Brown and Christian Woodson scored, North Central took a 4-2 lead. However, the Greyhounds locked down Brown for the rest of the half after that.

 

Carmel senior Pete Suder ended the first quarter with a catch-and-shoot three delivered by Burke Weldy. That gave the Greyhounds a 13-7 lead.

 

It took nearly three minutes in the second quarter before either team scored. Then, finally, North Central sophomore Mason Lewis put the Panthers on the board. Lewis gave Kevin Gant's squad a boost in the second quarter.

 

Orme went on a personal 10-0 run for the next four minutes. He made two threes and two buckets in the paint during the spurt. Orme's outburst pushed Carmel's lead to 23-9. 

 

For most of the first half, Carmel's defense suffocated North Central. There were a couple of clean looks, but for the most part, North Central did not get clean looks. 

 

The Greyhounds committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers in the first half. Suder had six of them. There are many games when Carmel does not commit seven turnovers for the entire game. That, plus Lewis' scoring, kept North Central within striking distance at halftime.

 

The second half started with Brown being more aggressive off the dribble for North Central. He drew a foul on the opening possession to head to the line. A possession later, CJ Jolliff made a three-pointer, and North Central's offense had life. 

 

North Central senior forward David Lloyd contributed in many ways in the second half - scoring, rebounding, defense. First, he scored through two Carmel defenders off a feed from Brown to make it 27-23. Then, Lloyd continued to make plays the rest of the way. 

 

As he has done for four years, Suder helped Carmel get back on track. He scored on the next two Carmel possessions and assisted on the third. Suddenly, Carmel led 34-23.

 

North Central used an and-one from Brown and a buzzer-beating three from Lloyd to score the final six points of the third. The Panthers continued to come back early in the fourth period. First, Davis Olson knocked down a three, then Brown created a steal and scored at the other end to make it a 36-34 game.

 

After Suder and Josh Whack made numerous free throws, Carmel led 42-34. Whack went six of six at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

 

Down eight, Jolliffe knocked down a three for North Central after Olson made a great save and found an open Jolliffe. Brown stepped up for the Panthers with two free throws. 

 

After a Carmel turnover, Brown attacked off the dribble for another score in the lane. The junior guard elevated his play in the second half for North Central. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds.

 

North Central looked for a trap before fouling Whack. His two free throws gave Carmel a 44-41 lead.

 

Lloyd found a decent look to tie the game on the other end, but it was off the mark. Orme rebounded it before making one of two free throws to seal the game with 12 seconds left.

 

Carmel moved to 5-2 and play New Albany on Saturday night. North Central dropped to 5-2 and do not play again until December 28.

 

Orme led all with 20 points and nine rebounds. Suder added 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He only had one turnover after halftime. Whack recorded all seven of his points at the line, and Charlie Williams finished with six points and five rebounds.

 

Lewis added eight points for North Central. Jolliffe recorded six points, and Lloyd tallied five points, four rebounds, and three steals.