The Carmel boys basketball team won its first sectional championship since 2021 Saturday, March 7. The Greyhounds held off No. 1-ranked Fishers 50-49 at The Mill in Noblesville. (Joshua Herd)
By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – Every loss this season was a lesson learned for the Carmel Greyhounds.
On Saturday, March 7, during the Class 4A Sectional 8 title game inside Noblesville’s Mill, the 10th-ranked Hounds put their wisdom and toughness on display to pull off the biggest upset the program has seen in five years.
Fishers’ Kai McGrew scored 22 points for the Tigers, while Carmel’s Evan Harrell scored 18 points. (Joshua Herd)
Picked to lose against top-ranked and previously unbeaten Fishers (24-1) – a state finalist the past two seasons – Carmel (18-5) believed when many didn’t and halted the Tigers’ perfect run at 24 games with an intense, down-to-the-wire, 50-49, victory for the sectional championship.
“It took a few plays at the very end, but I think a lot of winning plays were being made in the second and third quarters as well that really affected the game,” Carmel senior Evan Harrell said. “Those big plays early on in the game really solidified us moving forward in the game.”
In a back-and-forth battle highlighted by six ties and 12 lead changes, every situation dominoed upon each other and some boiled over, particularly in the second quarter.
The game’s tone was set from the opening tip, as the sold-out gymnasium’s crowd played a role and fueled both teams with chants, cheers and boos.
A heated county rivalry already, the stakes were raised for the coveted Sectional 8 title, and with Carmel up 25-20 and 1:16 remaining in the first half, emotional hard play led to a double technical foul and the ejection of Greyhound junior Cash Daniels.
Fishers junior Cooper Zachary and Carmel junior Vince Nover tussled for possession as the Tigers tried to claw back before halftime. However, a scrum for the ball led to a brief scuffle, and Daniels, who was on the bench, rushed onto the court as officials attempted to calm the situation.
Zachary and Nover were called for offsetting technical fouls, while Daniels, one of Carmel’s top scorers, was ejected for leaving the sideline. Daniels’ night ended with six points.
Carmel went into the break leading 25-22, but the loss of Daniels didn’t deter them.
“In the locker room, we just gathered together and just told each other to power through it, just forget about it and move on,” Harrell said. “Toughness was the driving factor in that game.”
Ben Bremer scored eight points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer that put Carmel ahead in the final 30 seconds of the game. (Joshua Herd)
Efficiency was another.
Carmel out rebounded Fishers 25-20, and the Greyhounds’ “pack the paint” defense led to 2 of 12 shooting for the Tigers from beyond the arc and 41 percent from the floor overall.
“They killed us on the offensive glass. Any screen we did didn’t work because they were very physical and the refs were allowing it to be physical on both ends,” Fishers coach Garrett Winegar said. “They did a better job playing physical and being tougher. That’s a hard pill to swallow when you just got out-toughed.”
Harrell had a team-high 18 points for the Greyhounds and nine rebounds followed by senior Julian Vogt with 9 points and six rebounds.
Fishers’ junior Jason Gardner had 13 points and six rebounds in just his second game back from an 18-game absence due to injury.
An and-1 dunk by senior Kai McGrew (game-high 22 points) late in the third quarter put Fishers ahead 40-38 entering the fourth quarter, but nothing was settled until the final 55.7 seconds.
But the Hounds believed.
Zachary, who had eight points, buried a 3-pointer to give Fishers a 49-47 lead with 55.7 remaining.
On the next possession, Carmel senior Ben Bremer (eight points) stepped up and dropped a dagger 3-pointer to put the Hounds in front 50-49 with less than 30 seconds left.
“We had a play. It was a flare on the other side. Vince Nover caught it, drove it, kicked one more. He got my man, so I just hit the shot, go up one,” Bremer said. “This is amazing.”
The Hounds’ defense shut down four Tigers’ inbound attempts (two timeouts, one block) in the final 19.6 seconds. McGrew went for the win on the final shot, but the ball rimmed out.
“The kids deserve all the credit. Just happy to be along for the ride and being able to have an impact,” Carmel coach Ryan Osborn said. “They’re not satisfied. We’ll continue that process over perfection.”
