(Pete Suder pictured last season)

 

In Carmel’s penultimate boys’ basketball MIC game, the Greyhounds welcomed Lawrence North to town on Monday evening. It was a showdown of two Indiana All-Stars – Pete Suder and CJ Gunn.

 

Lawrence North played Carmel’s pace in the first quarter and did not try to slash or probe. On the other end, the Greyhounds played through William & Mary signee Charlie Williams and picked their spots to lead 8-3 after one quarter.

 

Actually, it was Carmel that started to push the pace in the second period. Bellarmine signee Pete Suder asserted himself into the game as he scored going to the paint, hitting the glass, and creating transition opportunities. He scored 11 second-quarter points to push Carmel to a comfortable 27-12 halftime lead.

 

Indiana signee CJ Gunn took a shot on Lawrence North’s first possession, then did not shoot the rest of the first quarter. That led to a scoreless first period. However, Gunn ran off screens at the elbows early in the second quarter before curling to the basket. Omar Cooper Jr., an Indiana University football signee, hit Gunn at the rim for a basket plus the foul.

 

Carmel did not allow Lawrence North to gain offensive traction in the first half. The Wildcats shot 4-17 from the field with limited looks in the lane. However, Cooper did drive to the paint before finding Danny Royster for a two-handed slam for Lawrence North’s only first-quarter field goal.

 

Lawrence North changed the tempo by extending its defense full court to begin the third. It threw Carmel for a loop as the Greyhounds committed uncharacteristic turnovers. Sophomore Kobi Bowles scored two minutes into the second half to make it a 32-21 game, and it looked like Lawrence North was on the comeback trail.

 

Suder had other ideas. He scored an and-one shortly after that. Then, the Carmel senior created a steal and scored on the other end for another and-one. Suder followed that with another steal before finding Garwey Dual for a bucket. Carmel’s lead ballooned back to 18 points in a snap of the finger.

 

A minute later, Suder scored again, and Carmel led 44-22 late in the third quarter. Suder scored 13 points in the third quarter.

 

Lawrence North did not go quietly. Bowles banked in a three-pointer, then Gunn threw down a transition dunk off a steal by Cooper. However, Carmel took a 46-29 lead to the fourth.

 

Again, the Wildcats kept fighting. Gunn hit a three-pointer early in the fourth, and that was a sign of his output in the period. Gunn scored 16 fourth-quarter points for Lawrence North.

 

Cooper scored in the lane with 5:30 left in the game to cut Carmel’s lead to 50-38. However, Suder made sure Carmel maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way. Lawrence North would make it a ten- or twelve-point game before Suder scored or made free throws. That happened throughout the period.

 

Finally, Josh Whack made his late free throws to seal Carmel’s 68-61 victory. Carmel made 19-25 (76 percent) free throws, while Lawrence North only made 8-15 (53.3 percent).

 

Suder eclipsed the 1000 career point mark with his 33 points against Lawrence North. He went 11-12 from the field and 9-10 from the foul line. Suder also collected seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists in the win.

 

Williams added 11 points and four rebounds. Spencer White hit two crucial three-pointers on his way to eight points and three assists. Plus, Jared Bonds tallied five points and five rebounds. Whack scored six points, and Sam Orme recorded three points, four rebounds, and two assists. Dual had two points and three assists.

 

Gunn shot 5-10 from three-point range to score 27 points. He also had three rebounds and three steals in the loss. Twenty-four of his 27 points came after halftime.

 

Freshman Azavier Robinson added ten points and five rebounds in the loss. Cooper tallied nine points, seven rebounds, three steals, and three assists. Bowles scored eight points.

 

Carmel improved to 14-4 on the season, and the Greyhounds play Hamilton Southeastern on Friday. Lawrence North dropped to 10-5. The Wildcats play Ben Davis on Friday.