State Finals: 3A Friday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday it was the big schools turn in semi final action from Champaign in the State Finals.&nbsp; Here we examine the four 3A semis in <strong>State Finals: 3A Friday Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mt. Carmel Puts 5 in Double Figures to Pull Away from Mt. Zion in 2^nd Half</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the half this was a tie game that looked up for grabs.&nbsp; The second half was owned by Mt. Carmel as they defeated Mt. Zion by a final of 65-49 to move on to the championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The spark early on for the Caravan was 2025 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2105179' first='Grant' last='Best'].&nbsp; The sharp shooter hit a trio of them from deep in this game along with a crisp baseline take finishing with 14 points.&nbsp; Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1845357' first='Noah' last='Mister'] played one his best games of the season as a floor general making plays setting others up with his passing while shaking defenders off the bounce along with draining a few jumpers for 10 points and 6 dimes. His backcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id='1385307' first='Cameron' last='Thomas'] was rock solid as always.&nbsp; Powerfully built guard drained a pair form distance along with a soft touch finishing game for 12 points.&nbsp; With their star [player_tooltip player_id='1373436' first='Angelo' last='Ciaravino'] in foul trouble for much of the game they got a massive lift from [player_tooltip player_id='1285492' first='Lee' last='Marks'].&nbsp; The D1 prospect has been out for the last month.&nbsp; He was super impactful in all areas of the game.&nbsp; Finished around the hoop, rebounded, dished it well, and played D while scoring 10 points and dropping 5 dimes.&nbsp; Speaking of the Northwestern commit [player_tooltip player_id='1373436' first='Angelo' last='Ciaravino'] turned it on late notching 13 points showing off his athleticism in the paint finishing out of the dunker spot, on a lob, and in the post.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Mt. Zion it was [player_tooltip player_id='2323267' first='JC' last='Anderson'] inside who led the way.&nbsp; He was unstoppable in the first half.&nbsp; The big man finished out of the dunker spot, sealed his man off, spin moves, and hit the offensive glass for put backs.&nbsp; Scored 16 of his 17 points in the first half while also grabbing 8 rebounds.&nbsp; Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1545145' first='Lyncoln' last='Koester'] had a tough morning shooting the rock.&nbsp; He did manage a couple floaters and a three for 13 points.&nbsp; Showed some passing we hadn't seen while recording 5 assists in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DePaul Prep Defense Holds Down Richwoods to Advance to Title Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It has been about the defense all year for DePaul Prep and that was once again the case as they held Richwoods to well below their season average in a 52-41 victory that sets up an all Chicago Catholic League 3A title game against Mt. Carmel.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DePaul Prep point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1545133' first='Makai' last='Kvamme'] was outstanding in the victory.&nbsp; The junior guard controlled the tempo from the get go.&nbsp; He set others up with his passing while living in the paint scoring on acrobatic finishes notching 15 points and 6 dimes.&nbsp; His backcourt mates were also solid in the win.&nbsp; Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1978593' first='PJ' last='Chambers'] had 15 points with his shot making on full display as usual from all over the floor.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1385311' first='Robert' last='Walls'] had his moments as well scoring 7 points.&nbsp; Up front the big boys held down Sommerville as much as they could.&nbsp; It was a big game out of [player_tooltip player_id='1845360' first='Rashaun' last='Porter'] as the highly ranked sophomore had 10 points and 6 rebounds while playing great defense.&nbsp; Mid-range jumpers and scored out of the dunker spot.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1157352' first='Jaylan' last='McElroy'] only had 4 points, but they came in a key part of the game when Richwoods was making a late push.&nbsp; Energy big that defends and brings versatility inside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rutgers commit [player_tooltip player_id='1157232' first='Lathan' last='Sommerville'] couldn't get much going early, but started to find some stuff as the game went on.&nbsp; A big tip slam seemed to get him in the game.&nbsp; Had a few power moves in the post along with a tough and-1.&nbsp; Went for 18 points in the loss.&nbsp; DaQuan Little finished out a breakout senior year strong with his perimeter shot making and in between game going for 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->