5 Takeaways: Mt. Carmel vs Limestone

<p>We took in a fun contest between Mt. Carmel and Limestone at the Pekin Holiday Tournament to close out the night on Monday.  It was much closer than you would expect for a #2 vs #15 matchup.  Limestone gave the Caravan everything they wanted but in the end Mt. Carmel won 94-85.  Here are our <strong>5 Takeaways: Mt. Carmel vs Limestone</strong>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Craig to Get Boost in Ranking</strong></p> <p>What a performance by [player_tooltip player_id="989268" first="DeAndre" last="Craig"] on Monday night.  The junior currently sets at #25 overall and the #9 point guard in the 2023 class.  He will be getting a boost after another strong performance.  In this one he went for 37 points while scoring in pretty much any way he wanted throughout the game.  Tough and compact guard that isn’t afraid to go inside as he has a quick burst and the body control to finish well through contact.  Made scoop shots, floaters, and reverse layups.  Also shot it well from three in this one hitting several of them including a couple of bombs from the top of the key.  Showed flashes as a passer including shovel passes inside.  Mid-majors need to get in now.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Mt. Carmel Might Have Another D1 Talent in 2024</strong></p> <p>The other prospect that jumps off the floor for the Caravan is 2024 6’4” small forward Angelo Ciaravino.  Had a good friend give me the heads up heading into the season and boy were they right.  Lanky forward with projectability and athletic pop.  Creative ball handler that makes plays off the bounce with long strides as he netted 14 points. Best basketball is ahead of him.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Caravan Role Players Star in Roles</strong></p> <p>Three other key contributors know their roles for Mt. Carmel.  Junior Anthony Ciaravino is a knock down spot up threat that brings grit.  He had 14 points.  [player_tooltip player_id="1048721" first="Elijah" last="Jointer"] is a physical post that mauls inside and takes pride in doing the dirty work inside.  Went for 9 points.  Eddy Lyons was always there to make a key shot or free throw when needed as well. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Limestone Star Sophomore Shows Well in Primetime</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1157205" first="Dekwon" last="Brown"] lived up to his top 10 ranking in this game.  The state’s #2 sophomore lead guard had his moments of brilliance mixed with some forced shots and bad turnovers.  The good heavily outweighs the bad.  Electric ball handler that changes gears and can score off the bounce or kick to shooters for points.  His jumper showed growth as he nailed several pull ups in the contest.  Scoring combo with a ton of upside.  Went for 25 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Rockets Have Bright Future</strong></p> <p>Limestone is much better than their record states and it is even going to be more positive as the season goes on and heading into next year.  In addition to Brown they have some other players to grow with.  Class of 2023 shooting guard Cooper Waibel was money from distance hitting six from deep in this game for 21 points.   Clayton Bell is a 6’2” junior that did his damage in the paint on crafty finishes and always being in the right place at the right time.  He had 16 points.  Jacob Borrowman went for 12 points as the 2024 point guard proved to be a sparkplug shooter.</p>