Boy did we learn a lot about the Carmel Greyhounds this past weekend. The Hounds prove to be a gutsy, grind-it-out, first-to-the-floor team, something that has been part of the culture there forever, but it showed this weekend. 

Against Noblesville the Greyhounds gave their best effort I have seen this year. No it wasn’t as flashy a win as against LC, but the Greyhounds proved they could grind out tough wins. After going down 12-11 at the end of the first quarter, the Hounds went on a curious 10-3 run in the second quarter. While the defense was stifling, the Hounds offense was struggling mightily. Shooting 33% from the field, 25% from three, and going 3/3 from the free throw line to end the half. They led 21-16, but it did not feel like the Hounds led by that much. We’ve talked before about the third quarter offensive struggles that the Hounds have had, yet they shot out of a cannon in the third. 26 (yes you read that right) points in the third quarter were the second most the Hounds have had in a quarter this season. Following up the third with a 17 point fourth quarter propelled the Greyhounds to a 64-49 win over the Noblesville Millers. Now let’s break down some individual player performances. Our Black Orchid Barbers Player of the Game was Pete Suder and for good reason. Pete had 21 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, and a steal. In what was one of his best performances of the season, his leadership stood out to me. He was the guy the Greyhounds gave the ball to when they needed a bucket, and he was the vocal leader that guided the team to victory, leadership that has been much needed in the program. While Suder did his thing, 2 juniors stood out for the Hounds as they jumped out for the first time this season. Sam Orme had 13 points, and Jared Bonds had 12. Both these guys provided needed sparks and for Bonds, they came in crucial times off the bench. Carmel fans were given a glimpse into just how good Orme could be on one sequence when he chased down Aaron Fine of Noblesville to glass the ball, then went the other way drawing a foul and heading to the line for 2 shots. Overall these two added the spark to the Hounds offense that they have desperately needed all season long. Finally we will talk about Charlie Williams. Some were disappointed with him only having 8 points against a team where he had a huge height advantage, but I couldn’t have been happier with how he played. Williams drew 5 fouls in total with 3 of them coming on the ground on post entries. The Millers had no choice but to hug Williams off of the set plays that gave him good looks in the post. After the Noblesville game, the Hounds proved once again that they could still be favorites to return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse this spring. 

Gutsy, grind-it-out, punctuation mark basketball. The Hounds came into the game against #5 Fishers as an underdog without a doubt. Yes, the Hounds were at home, and yes they were still ranked lower than the Tigers. In the end, all that matters is that the Hounds got done what they needed to get done. They grinded out a tough win in a home environment that the Tigers fanbase infiltrated. 44-39 was the final score on Saturday night at the Eric Clark Activity Center in front of a packed house, just the night after a great win against Noblesville. The Hounds needed to prove they could beat a good team, and they beat a good team in Fishers. The telling sign that this team has improved is the third quarter struggles, and their rebound from it. The Hounds held a 5-point lead into halftime until the Tigers erased it and built their own 1-point lead in the third. That was until a breakaway steal and dunk from Pete Suder erased the Tiger lead. By the way, Suder’s dunk was something else. Suder then hit a three on the next possession and got a layup the following one, his second 7-point scoring run of the night (the other one opened up the game 7-0). Suder was once again named our Black Orchid Barbers Player of the game with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal. Nobody else in the supporting cast reached double figures, but several guys like Bonds, Orme, Williams, and Whack all were around the 5-9 point mark. The Greyhounds were yet to beat a “good” team heading into this Fishers game. The Fishers Tigers were a good team, and the Hounds beat them for 32 minutes. There was a stretch of maybe 4 minutes where the Tigers played winning basketball, but other than that little stretch, it was all Hounds. 

To wrap up, I was very harsh on the Greyhounds last week because I saw all the talent they had, and I knew how good they could be, and they just weren’t showing it. Now after a weekend that included beating a rival at home, and the #5 ranked team at home, you are seeing the talent, and you are seeing this team work together for the first time all year. Changing the offense this past week obviously worked wonders for the Hounds, considering there was never really a scoring drought over the entire weekend. When the Hounds needed the dagger in both games, they had a shooter ready to deliver. When the Hounds needed to get a bucket to stop the opposing team’s run, they had a shooter ready to deliver. Not only was shooting improved this weekend, the defense got more steals this weekend than they had in any combination of 2 games earlier this season. It’s that kind of hustling basketball that makes the Hounds a great team, ready to make a run in March. The Carmel Greyhounds don’t leave home until January, and this week they have another opportunity for two wins. Friday night they’ll host North Central for a 7:30pm tip, and Saturday they’ll host New Albany for another 7:30pm tip. These won’t be 2 easy wins (they never are), but its two wins that the Hounds should get. This is no longer “The Determining Weekend” as I previously dubbed this past weekend, but its a weekend that the Hounds need to come away 2-0 from.