Party Ends for Carmel Girls

CARMEL—Carmel High girls basketball coach Dan O’Hare had a few concerns going into Saturday’s Class AA semifinal against Mt. Vernon.

Carmel’s Brittany Horne goes to the basket for two points Saturday. SKIP PEARLMAN His biggest one turned out to be well-founded.

Rebounding is crucial in any basketball game, and the Knights hurt Carmel on the glass at both ends of the court. But particularly on the offensive end, where it was not unusual to see Mt. Vernon get two, three, or even four chances before scoring a basket.

Each time the Knights grabbed another offensive rebound, a new look of agony was etched across O’Hare’s face.

Let’s just say O’Hare was in a lot of pain throughout this one, with the Knights grabbing 19 key offensive rebounds, and holding off every Carmel run in defeating the Rams, 59-49, at the Westchester County Center.

It was just Carmel’s second trip to the Westchester basketball mecca, and the second time the Rams failed to reach the championship game.

Marie Mullen of Carmel swoops to the hoop. SKIP PEARLMAN Carmel, the No. 2 seed, closes the curtain on a strong season at 16-5. No. 3 Mt. Vernon (19-3) was to play No. 1 Ossining last night (Wednesday) for the Class AA title. For the defending champion Knights, this will be their fourth consecutive finals appearance.

The Rams did have their moments.

Carmel went up by six early in the second quarter, but could not extend that lead. And in the third, Carmel trailed 39-32, then went on a 10-1 run to take a 42-40 lead with 6:36 remaining. Sparking that run was a Brittany Horne three that ended the third, a Kim Broccoli three that opened the fourth, a Katie Grace basket off a steal, and a Broccoli basket, assisted by Sabrina Diaz, that made it a 42-40 Carmel lead.

Kim Broccoli goes to the basket with a finger roll. PEARLMAN SKIP PEARLMAN But from there, it was all downhill for Carmel.

An 8-4 MV run put the Knights back up, 48-46, with 2:37 left, before MV’s Carece Moore dropped a pair of three-point bombs on consecutive possessions that all but put the game out of reach for Carmel. Moore drained the first three from the right corner, and following a Horne miss at the other end, came right back with another dagger from downtown – this time from the left corner, putting MV up 54-46 with just 1:48 showing.

Moments later Horne picked up a technical foul – her fifth – and was finished with 1:07 to play. Not that her presence would have made a difference in the final minute.

Few observers gave Carmel a chance to advance to the finals – something the Rams and O’Hare heard about all week leading up to the game.

“All week we knew we had a chance, but no one believed,” an emotional Broccoli, a Rams senior captain, said moments after the final buzzer. “We had the lead at halftime (24-22), but they were stronger in the second half. In the third I think everyone started losing faith… and by the end everyone was tired. I think we lost confidence in ourselves. But we had an awesome year, and we’re all proud we made it this far.”

The Lady Rams watch the final seconds tick off in loss to Mt. Vernon. SKIP PEARLMAN SKIP O’Hare said his team earned some respect, even if the Rams couldn’t grind out a win.

“No one gave us a chance, but I think we gained a lot of respect from all the doubters,” the coach said. “A big key was all those second opportunities. Going in, we felt that would be a key. We banged them around a little, and they got to the line. But I think we need to take the ball to the basket a little more.”

Carmel coach Dan O’Hare paces uncomfortably in front of Carmel bench Saturday at County Center. SKIP PEARLMAN Free throws were indeed an issue, with the Knights draining 15-of-28 attempts. Carmel only went to the stripe six times, hitting five.

“But the rebounding was huge,” O’Hare added. “And we didn’t get out and run as much as we wanted to. They stayed on us and didn’t allow the quick outlet. And in the second half they elevated their defensive intensity. That took us out of the flow.”

Moore finished with 14 points for the Knights, Shanyce Stewart added 12 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, and Sade King had 12 points.

Horne was held below her 18PPG average, finishing with 13 points, 13 rebounds and six steals. Senior captain Marie Mullen had 11 points, including three three-pointers, Diaz had nine points, and Broccoli finished with eight points and three assists.

Carmel’s Sabrina Diaz glides in for two points Saturday. SKIP PEARLMAN Carmel also got a strong defensive effort from Katie Grace, and strong play from a number of sources.

“Grace did a tremendous job on Taylor Palmer (MV’s leading scorer) – and held her to nine points on one field goal (and seven free throws),” O’Hare said. “Mullen and Broccoli were both very steady – as they have been all year – they gave us great leadership. And Brittany had to struggle for everything she got. She’s the target. But she handled it well… she allowed the flow of the game to come to her. Diaz is a rising star, she has absolutely no fear, she has a bright future. Kristen Knolker gave us some good minutes (in her first action in over a month), and Nikki Oliver (seven rebounds, three points) rebounded well before she got into foul trouble.”

O’Hare said he told his team to see the big picture. “I told them not to let this loss define the season we had,” the coach said. “Sixteen and five is a tremendous record, and we were one of the final four teams left playing.”