It was two tough matchups against ranked teams for the Lady Hounds as they closed out their biggest home stretch of the schedule. Join me and guest writer Caroline Houck as we recap this week in Carmel Girls Basketball:

December 7th vs #12 Westfield (47-45 Loss)

This game was the definition of two different halves. It was an uncharacteristic slow start for the Hounds in the 1st half, as they put up on only 3 points in the 1st quarter, along with 8 in the 2nd. Offensively, it was simply a showcase of disconnected offense, as the Hounds just could not get going. Defensively, the Hounds signature 3-2 zone had a tough time matching up against the shooting prowess of Michigan commit Alyssa Crockett. Crockett, along with Shamrocks’ Junior Olivia Robey had a far too easy time setting up at half court, moving the ball around, and setting up easy shots. Because of that, the Hounds went into the break down 24-11 in one of their toughest 1st half performances of the season. However, the Hounds came into the 2nd half hungry. An excellent 3rd quarter performance from Senior Laura Valiente gave her her 3rd double-digit performance on the season, and brought the Hounds within 6 with 8 minutes to play. The final 8 minutes were pure back and forth basketball, with the Shamrocks ahead the entire way until there were 3 minutes left, and the Hounds took their first lead of the game. For the next few minutes, it was back and forth again, but the Hounds had one more chance to win the game with 1.6 seconds. Unfortunately for them, a well timed pass deflection from the Shamrocks sealed a nail biting 47-45 loss. 

Westfield Scoring: Crockett-20, Kelleher-9, Robey-8

Carmel Scoring: Valiente-15, Thomas-11, Lach-7

December 11th vs #19 Fort Wayne Snider (60-36 Loss)

The Lady Hounds took a brutal loss to Fort Wayne Snider in a final score of 60-36. There was little movement on the court offensively and defensively, to say it nicely it was an uncoordinated mess. With Emily Roper not at the home game for a reason unknown the ladies had no one to look to and it showed. The team was led by senior Laura Valiente with 13 points and 6 rebounds.  A trap defensive press put on by the Hounds that simply left too many gaps for Snider to sneak through. Michigan commit Kate Clark is still out with a back injury, on limited time however, made her appearance in the game for the most time all season. Still unable to make any of her 3’s lead to the deficit of this game to increase however she fought aggressively until the final buzzer. The hounds have a lot of improvement to make thought out the rest of their season leading up to sectionals, but the flip of the switch I believe is mentally game to game, and their next matchup against North Central will be a big determining factor. No team wants to lose, but especially in a game that should have been an easy win it stings a little more. 

Fort Wayne Snider Scoring: Craig-31, Poole-11, LoVett-6

Carmel Scoring: Valiente-13, Thomas-8, Clarke-7

This Week’s Takeaways:

For the Hounds to be legitimate Sectional contenders come February, they need to tighten up on the offensive side of things. Even in the absence of Kate Clarke, they have proven time and time again in earlier parts of the season that they can score efficiently. But in the past few games, that has not been the case. Overall I think we may be starting to see this team straying away from what was their identity earlier in the season. They need to be serious about who their scorers are and where they should be. Their most consistent scorer so far has been Mackenzie Thomas, but she has been fairly quiet the past couple of weeks. Having her posted up down low is a surefire way to score quickly and frequently.

Defensively, teams around the area are starting to figure out and exploit the gaps left in that Hounds defense. Whatever it is, the Hounds need to get up to speed and minimize those gaps, because they cannot allow players like Alyssa Crockett to spot up from 3 that easily. 

The Week Ahead:

• Friday, December 17th @ North Central (11-3)
• Saturday, December 18th vs Portage (5-5)

– Gabe Perrin, Co-Sports Director

– Caroline Houck, Co-Live Show Manager