On Friday the Hounds traveled south through the snow and ice to take on Ben Davis in a huge conference game. The idea was simple: have to win, to win the MIC. By some weird manner, the Giants could clinch a share of the MIC title with a win, but the Hounds couldn’t. Nonetheless, the Hounds went down there hoping to secure their path to the MIC title by their own doing, not needing others to lose. It feels like every week I say how weird a game was, but I think this might have topped it all. Let’s break down the score by quarter. End of Q1: Hounds 16, Giants 2. End of Q2: Hounds 18, Giants 9. End of Q3: Hounds 24, Giants 26. End of Q4: Hounds 35, Giants 35. That’s right, the Hounds went to OT. Describing the ending of the game is challenging considering we weren’t on the call for this game, but I’ve gathered that Josh Whack split a pair of free throws putting the Hounds up by 1, before Ben Davis missed a shot that would have won them the game. Final: Hounds 43, Giants 42. Tight game all the way through the second half, and certainly one the Hounds are happy to have. Grind it out, tough victory that proves undoubtedly that the Hounds remain the kings and controllers of the MIC. Let’s break it down. Poor shooting is the first thing that stands out to you between looking at Brownsburg and Ben Davis. Both those games the Hounds really struggled putting the ball through the net at times. The Hounds’ best shooter is included in this poor shooting as Sam Orme has found himself slumping as of late. Orme (normally the Hounds best shooter) has shot just 9 for 37 in his last 6 games. This included going 1 for 5 at Ben Davis Friday night. Overall the Hounds shot just 3 of 14 from three point land, so blaming the shooting struggles on Orme would be a misstatement. It’s also not like the Hounds were stellar from inside the arc either, shooting just 35% against the Giants. The lone bright spot? The Hounds made 12 of their 14 free throws. Miss any more of these shots and the Hounds don’t even find themselves in overtime. While the Hounds did shoot poorly, there obviously were other issues. The one that stands out: turnovers. 18 turnovers jumps out at you because yes indeed, that is a lot. Too many in the eyes of Coach Ryan Osborn, who I’m sure will take a long look at the game film and figure out the turnover issues. Individually, nobody really shined for the Hounds. Suder led with 13, Whack with 8, Orme with 9, Dual with 6, White with 2, and Bonds with 5. Once again the scoring didn’t go super deep for the Hounds, as White and Dual were the only one’s scoring off the bench. What is troubling is the absence of CHarlie Williams, who only played 9 total minutes and didn’t score. For the Hounds to compete late into tournament play, Williams will not only need to be present, but extremely active. Alright, that’ll do it for talking Ben Davis, now onto the Snider game. 

Wow. A night after squeaking out a HUGE conference game, the Hounds have tended to slide. Not this time however. Hosting an out-of-town team on a Saturday night in January doesn’t usually contract a big crowd, but a student tailgate, cheer camp, pups recognition night, and increased adult showout was enough to just about completely fill the Eric Clark Activity Center. Not only did the stadium fill, but the ECAC got loud QUICKLY!  Early in the first quarter Jared Bonds got out on a fast break with Suder and Whack, and got a slam dunk in front of the pups teams which had the place rocking! A loud environment continued all night long as Fort Wayne Snider never led in this game, even for just a possession. The Hounds dominated every facet of the game. Defensively they held Karson Jenkins (averaging 28 points per game) to just 2 points, and allowed Aidan Lambert (averaging 21 points per game) to 17 points. The duo that averages 49 points for the Panthers was shut to just 19, and that seemed to make all the difference. Offensively, it wasn’t the well-balanced, low-scoring attack the Hounds had the night previously. Sam Orme led all Hounds scorers with 24 points, going 4/7 from the field, 3/7 from three, and 7/7 from the charity stripe. Certainly improved marks from earlier in the weekend and weeks prior. The big key the coaching staff gave Orme heading into the game was that when he struggled from three, move in. Orme shoots over 70% from inside the arc this year, so getting him open looks inside was a point of emphasis for the Hounds. Not only did Orme have increased time inside the arc, he actually posted up on the block a few times, which is fair considering he had a 6’2” guard defending him. So, on a night where almost everything went right for the Carmel Greyhounds, what went wrong? Shooting the three ball. Sam Orme made 3 of his 7, which accounted for 75% of the Greyhounds made threes. The Hounds shot 4/11 in the first half, before going 0/4 in the second half. This streaky shooting including going 28% from three may not hurt Carmel against a team like Snider, but come tournament time in just a few weeks, the Greyhounds are going to need to be able to lace more shots to avenge their losses to Westfield and Zionsville. 

To conclude, the Hounds are good. I don’t know what else people want me to say after a big time MIC win, and an almost 30-point win over 11-3 FW Snider. I get bombarded often with people saying this team cannot go to state or threepeat. I want those people to explain to me why this team can’t do it. Yes, the sectional is difficult, and yes the Greyhounds are still the best team in the sectional. Yes, the Northern path to Gainbridge is difficult, and yes the Greyhounds are still the best team north of I-465. Yes, the Greyhounds have lost some games, and yes they will avenge those losses. This isn’t some sort of blind swagger or cockiness about a team. This is clear and focused confidence that this Carmel team is special, and come March, they’re going to be the most dangerous team in the state.