Cathedral (10-3), winners of four straight since dropping the Hall of Fame Classic to Westfield, faced Carmel (9-3) on the Indy northside. The Greyhounds entered the contest after losing to Westfield on Saturday night. Bellarmine-bound guard Pete Suder stole the show in this heavyweight fight.

 

Suder grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on Carmel’s opening possession. That is a trend that the senior continued throughout the game. Early, he made his most significant impact as a rebounder. He gave Carmel extra possessions and looked for Charlie Williams inside.

 

Williams scored eight points in the first quarter to help the Greyhound build a 17-7 with under two minutes left. Cathedral Tayshawn Comer and Jake Davis cut Carmel’s lead to 19-12, heading to the second period.

 

Suder took over the second quarter. He scored ten points in the first four minutes of the stanza and pushed Carmel to a 34-16 lead. Suder pressured the ball and played the passing lanes to the tune of five first-half steals. He dominated the game in all areas.

 

The Fighting Irish did not quit despite being down 18 points after 12 minutes. Comer and Jaxon Edwards gave Cathedral life. After Edwards grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed it up the floor, he found Xavier Booker for an open court slam. Booker scored seven of his nine points in the first half. That made it a ten-point game.

 

Suder finished the half with 18 points, six rebounds, and five steals. It was a magnificent performance, and the Greyhounds led 39-27.

 

Cathedral opened the second half with a Jaron Tibbs bucket. Known for his football prowess and defensive ability, Tibbs gave Cathedral an offensive boost in the third quarter. He scored 11 points in the stanza as Carmel’s lead shrank to five a few minutes in.

 

With the pressure swinging to Carmel, Sam Orme and Williams made consecutive three-pointers to gain breathing room. Those were huge as the Greyhounds did not score much in the time surrounding the triples.

 

Carmel took a 51-43 lead to the fourth.

 

Comer made a free throw with 3:28 remaining, cutting Carmel’s lead to 60-53. However, Williams grabbed an offensive rebound off Josh Whack’s missed free throw on the next possession before Orme found Suder for a corner three. It was a four-point possession, and Cathedral never got any closer.

 

Suder only scored two points in the third, but his two three-pointers in the fourth were critical for Carmel.

 

Carmel’s four-year starter finished the game with 28 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and two steals. It was one of the best performances that Indiana Basketball Source has witnessed from the well-rounded guard.

 

Williams helped with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Orme’s shooting – three-point and free throw – led him to 12 points. Garwey Dual came off the bench for seven points. Jake Griffin also provided crucial plays for Carmel and tallied five points.

 

Comer led Cathedral with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Tibbs used the big third quarter to finish with 15 points and nine rebounds. Murray State signee Jaxon Edwards recorded 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Booker added nine points and three blocks.

 

Carmel has an extended break before playing Pike on January 21. Cathedral also has a long break. The Fighting Irish do not play until next week’s City Tournament.