Five Takeaways: Mt. Carmel vs John Carroll
The 2019-20 basketball season has been a strange, unpredictable one. It seems like night after night, you really never know who can win a certain match up. That’s what made last night’s game between John Carroll and Mt. Carmel intriguing.…
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Continue ReadingThe 2019-20 basketball season has been a strange, unpredictable one. It seems like night after night, you really never know who can win a certain match up. That’s what made last night’s game between John Carroll and Mt. Carmel intriguing. Two young teams who can both get it going from three clashing for an advantage in their division. John Carroll established a lead early on and although the Cougars stormed back multiple times, the Patriots always seemed to have an answer. In the end, John Carroll ran away with the game by a final score of 76-56. John Carroll improves to 16-6 overall (7-4) while Mt. Carmel drops to 11-9 (4-8).
Here are five takeaway from the game.
Commander provides the nail in the coffin
As mentioned, Mt. Carmel got back into reach multiple times throughout this game. With less than five minutes remaining in the game, the Cougars pulled within three thanks to a ’22 Deon Perry three-pointer. Following that shot, ’22 Tyson Commander buried back-to-back three’s. The Patriots followed his triples with a steal and a lay up to complete the 8-0 run and put an end to any resurgence for Mt. Carmel. Commander, a 6-foot-3 lefty, led his team with 24 points. Three of his four made three-pointers came in the fourth quarter. He was patient in his attack by getting his looks within the flow of the offense. If he wasn’t drilling shots from deep, Commander was attacking his defender’s front foot with a quick sweep and finishing with soft touch around the rim.
Perry’s effort comes up short
Perry was the most consistent player on the Mt. Carmel side last night. The 5-foot-8 guard made his impact from three as he converted on six triples that contributed to his game-high 25 points. Perry made John Carroll pay whenever he had a glimpse of day light on the perimeter. Even in transition, Perry deferred to shooting three’s and on a few occasions, he stopped on a dime and knocked them down. He was strong in his takes to the basket and in my opinion, missed out on a few visits to the free-throw line with missed calls by the referees. Still, Perry competed to the end and gave his team a chance late in the fourth before John Carroll’s last run.
Bryant does all of the little things
If you’ve seen John Carroll play this season, you’d know that ’21 Jalen Bryant is a player who can impact the game in a multitude of ways. The 5-foot-11 guard spearheads the Patriot defense with his disciplined ball pressure and active hands. Bryant is the type of defender that is gonna wear his opponent down. They could get the better of him for the first two quarters, but eventually his relentless effort is going to pay off. In this game, Bryant caused a handful of turnovers because of his effort and was effective in streaking down the floor for lay ups. He finished with 16 points on the night and was balanced with his offensive attack from all three levels.
Turk eventually settles in
’21 Koralp Turk recorded 14 points for the Cougars last night and it could’ve been more if it wasn’t for his shaky start. Turk was struggling with his confidence on his jumper early on. You could credit that to John Carroll’s defense. Turk would find openings in their 1-2-2 by the high post, but on his catches, John Carroll wouldn’t react. It’s almost like playing a mind game with the opposition. Turk turns, is shocked that no one is there to cover him and also has to worry about the pesky guards behind him poking at the ball. All of that action is a enough noise to throw a shooter off even if for a split second. That slight hesitation often results in misses. In the first quarter, that was the story of Turk’s life. But eventually, he settled in and got his looks around the floor and capitalized. The 6-foot-7 Turkish transfer connected on two three’s for the game as well as three nice post scores as a result of his establishing early position.
What’s next?
Mt. Carmel will host Loyola Sunday for another must-win game that could have heavy playoff implications within the division. Loyola is coming off of a somewhat surprising loss to St. Maria Goretti, so the Dons will look to refocus and get back to their winning ways. John Carroll will face a traveling St. Maria Goretti team on Sunday. The Patriots blew the Gaels out in their last meeting by 28 points. It’s always tough to beat a team twice during the season, but if John Carroll can execute the way they did last night, there’s a good chance of them coming out on the winning end once again.