It was a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2 by Phenom Hoops in the NCISAA. Both teams have found success this season but both were wanting to come away with a resume-type win along with some bragging rights. Carmel Christian though came out strong, having their defense lead out to their offense, eventually getting out to an early double-digit lead half-way through the first quarter. Ryan Roberts hit a late three towards the end of the first quarter to cut the Carmel lead to 20-11 after one.
In the second quarter, Carmel Christian found success from outside, knocking down shots from the perimeter and maintaining their lead around the 9-10 point mark. The Burlington School couldn’t’ find the same success from outside but was effective when attacking off the dribble and the rim. Carmel increased their lead up to 14 points at one point but The Burlington School answered with a run themselves, as Carmel Christian led 38-29 at halftime.
Second half, Carmel came out strong once again, with Burnham getting on the boards and using a balanced attack from inside and out (Bynum and Taylor) to increase their lead to as many as 23 points in the third. The Burlington School scored a few late but found themselves down 17 after three.
In the fourth quarter, it started to get a little interesting later in the quarter, as The Burlington School really played well on offense while also looking to speed up the play and put pressure on Carmel defensively. With Carmel leading by 21 with four minutes to go, shots started to really fall as The Burlington School outscored Carmel 28-16 but Carmel just played consistently throughout to secure the highly-impressive road win 90-81.
Stats:
Carmel Christian:
Ben Burnham 32 points, 15 rebounds
Glenn Bynum 20 points
Justin Taylor 19 points, 11 assists
The Burlington School:
Jamarii Thomas 22 points
Shane Peterson 16 points
Ryan Roberts 13 points
Standouts:
2021 Ben Burnham (Carmel Christian): Burnham is an absolute animal on the floor, with his activity, his motor, and his willingness to do some of the dirty work, he put on another special performance. He did an excellent job in getting on the boards, finding the most success there but also showing his ability to operate inside and out, and attack what the defense gave him. Finished multiple strong dunks in this game as well.
2022 Justin Taylor (Carmel Christian): Taylor continues to elevate his game on the floor. In this matchup of point guards, Taylor played extremely well in pushing in transition, playing with a great feel for where and when to attack, but also get downhill and create for others. He really is playing with poise on the court, giving us a glimpse of his balanced play and his ability to score inside and out, along with out in transition.
2021 Jamarii Thomas (Burlington School): Thomas did what Thomas has always done, creating well off the dribble and finishing strong when penetrating the lane. The outside shot didn’t quite fall like he would have hoped but he led the charge well and made an impact on both ends of the floor.