First time seeing Carmel this season. I do get to see their players a lot in the summer and in the fall league so I am familiar with their players. Second time seeing Hamilton Southeastern. I saw them play North Central (NC game report) earlier this season.
Carmel jumped out to a 15-6 lead after 5 minutes of play. Hamilton Southeastern didn't have much energy to start the game. HSE was able to cut the Carmel lead to 15-11 by the end of the quarter though. Gary Harris only scored 2 points in the opening quarter. Senior guard Josh Baldridge had two 3's in the first period for 6 points to lead Carmel.
Hamilton Southeastern increased the defensive pressure in the second quarter. Carmel started to turn the ball over a little bit more often and their open shots weren't falling. Randy Gregory (Purdue football signee) started to step up his play inside as well. HSE took a slim 24-23 advantage to halftime.
The third quarter was dominated by Randy Gregory inside and Jacobby Bledsoe from the outside. Bledsoe hit a couple of 3's when Harris drew multiple defenders. Carmel stayed within striking distance mainly through the efforts of Ben Gardner and Baldridge. Hamilton Southeastern did have a 42-35 lead going to the final period though.
The pace picked up in the fourth quarter. Both teams looked to push the ball much more than they had in the first three quarters. Baldridge scored 14 of his game high 24 points in the fourth. Gary Harris scored 7 of his 17 in the final stanza but most of it was from the line. Gregory had another superb quarter including an alley opp dunk. Gregory scored 8 points in the quarter, 16 in the second half and 23 for the game to lead HSE. HSE held off Carmel for the 63-58 win.
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Gary Harris 6'4 SG 2012 Hamilton Southeastern
Harris didn't have his best game but he is a top 20 player in the 2012 class nationally for sure. Great athlete that can handle the ball and shoot it pretty well. Michigan State's Tom Izzo was at the game to see Harris.
Zak Irvin 6'5 SF 2013 Hamilton Southeastern
Irvin has not had a very good high school year after he blew up and picked up a lot of high major offers over the summer. He has not shot the ball well this year and he isn't explosive or strong enough to get to the rim consistently right now. He has the potential to be the kind of player that those programs expect but he has a long ways to go. His skill set isn't very good right now. His length makes him look a little more athletic than he really is. He doesn't have much explosion to his game.
Josh Baldridge 6'0 SG 2011 Carmel
Baldridge is an undersized shooting guard that can play some point guard too. He is a tough, hard-nosed player. Baldridge is a very good shooter from the outside and was able to beat Gary Harris off the dribble a couple of times to get to the rim. Baldridge will make a D2/NAIA/D3 coach very happy with his skill set, athleticism, and toughness.
Jacobby Bledsoe 5'9 PG 2012 Hamilton Southeastern
Bledsoe shot the ball pretty well from the outside but they were all set shots after Harris drew multiple defenders. He is very small and slight. He turns the ball over trying to make great pass a lot. His size and skill set put him as a D2/NAIA player at most right now. He claims 7 D1 offers, but some of the schools that have "offered" him aren't actively recruiting him. A bizarre situation to say the least.
Ben Gardner 6'0 PG 2012 Carmel
Pretty skilled especially spot up shooting and getting to the basket. He will force passes at times. Gardner isn't the best athlete but he is above average and seems to get to the rim regularly. I like him for the D2/NAIA level.
Alec Peterson 6'10 C 2011 Carmel
Peterson wasn't able to use his height advantage in this game at all. He takes too long to get into his move especially against much shorter opponents and when he has position. His height is unteachable though. He has some fundamentals to build around, but he will be a project for the program who takes him no matter what level it is.
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