Fast start propels Mikes past B-C in Carmichaels tournament final
Carmichaels鈥� Dylan Wilson (4) hits a layup against Beth-Center during the Carmichaels Lions Club King Coal Christmas Tournament boys championship game Saturday night. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Carmichaels鈥� Michael Stewart (24) sets a screen on Beth-Center鈥檚 Chris Cramer for teammate Chris Barrish (3) during the Carmichaels Lions Club King Coal Christmas Tournament boys championship game Saturday night.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Chris Barrish puts up a driving shot against Beth-Center during the Carmichaels Lions Club King Coal Christmas Tournament boys championship game Dec. 28. Barrish, who scored a game-high 24 points in the Mikes鈥� 69-54 victory and was named tournament MVP, is a first-team selection on the Greene County Messenger Boys Basketball All-County Team.
Carmichaels players pose with 2019 Coal Queen Lizzie Dulla while displaying the first-place trophy after defeating Beth-Center, 69-54, in the Carmichaels Lions Club King Coal Christmas Tournament boys championship game Saturday night. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Members of the Carmichaels Lions Club King Coal Christmas Tournament all-tournament boys team pose with 2019 Coal Queen Lizzie Dulla Saturday night. Pictured are (from left) Beth-Center鈥檚 Andrew Bower and Easton McDaniel, Dulla, and tournament MVP Chris Barrish and Dylan Wilson of Carmichaels. Geibel Catholic鈥檚 Enzo Fetsko and Drew Howard, and Mapletown鈥檚 Ryan Tuttle were also members of the team.
CARMICHAELS 鈥� Ian McCombs had a short list for Santa this year.
鈥淭he only thing my brother and I wanted for Christmas was that bowl of coal,鈥� said the first-year Carmichaels boys basketball coach, referring to the unique trophy that is awarded to the winner of the Carmichaels Lions Club King Coal Christmas Tournament.
McCombs and assistant coach Sean McCombs got their wish on Saturday night.
The Mikes got off to a flying start and held off Beth-Center for a 69-54 victory in the boys championship game. Tournament MVP Chris Barrish hit three 3-pointers in scoring a game-high 24 points and Dylan Wilson added 15 as Carmichaels reversed the result of last year鈥檚 championship game won by the Bulldogs.
Barrish, a sophomore, scored eight points in the opening quarter as the Mikes exploded to a 17-4 lead.
鈥淭hey were on fire to start the game,鈥� B-C coach Bill Greco said. 鈥淲e dug ourselves a big hole.鈥�
鈥淲e started off strong, with a lot of energy,鈥� said McCombs, who guided the Lady Mikes to last year鈥檚 tournament title. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure a lot of that has to do with us being in front of our home crowd.鈥�
A loud, packed house only added to the monumental task the Bulldogs faced of climbing back into the game. They succeeded, although they could never quite get over the hump.
Beth-Center began the second quarter with a 12-4 run to make it 21-16 before Wilson hit a 3-pointer. Easton McDaniel then scored all the points in a 6-3 spurt to pull B-C within 27-22, but Wilson again made a 3-pointer and Al Cree hit two foul shots to give the Mikes a 32-22 halftime advantage.
The Bulldogs kept battling and finally pulled even when they strung together a 3-pointer by Andrew Bower, a layup by McDaniel and a scintillating coast-to-coast drive by Rueben Miller to make it 38-38 with 1:50 left in the quarter.
鈥淏eth-Center is a good team,鈥� McCombs said. 鈥淵ou knew that big lead wasn鈥檛 going to last and that they were going to battle their way back into the game.鈥�
Carmichaels responded to the challenge, though, and consecutive buckets by Barrish, Michael Stewart and Matt Kloska put the hosts up 44-38 until McDaniel鈥檚 late field goal set the score at 44-40 with eight minutes to play.
鈥淲e used a lot of energy to get that game tied and then we had three bad possessions in a row,鈥� Greco said. 鈥淎ll the things we were doing to get back into the game, somehow we forgot about that.鈥�
Nick Martin dropped in the first basket of the fourth quarter to get B-C back within two, but again the Mikes answered as Stewart, Cree and Barrish all scored in a 6-0 burst to make it 50-42.
A basket by Cam Palmer and a free throw by Bower sliced the gap to 50-45. Barrish then drilled a 3-pointer that sparked an eight-point run and the Mikes pulled away from there.
鈥淐hris plays with the mentality of a senior,鈥� McCombs said. 鈥淭hose are the situations he loves. We put a lot of faith in him. Off those pick-and-rolls there鈥檚 nobody we鈥檇 rather have making those decisions for us.鈥�
Greco lauded Barrish as well.
鈥淏arrish was the difference,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e controlled the game from his point guard position. We didn鈥檛 have anyone that could stay in front of him. He continually penetrated and kicked and that鈥檚 what you want out of your point guard. And he also made shots when he was open, and he鈥檚 deadly from the foul line.鈥�
Cree, who battled foul trouble most of the night, scored nine points, Stewart added eight and sophomore Drake Long chipped in with six for the Mikes.
Bower and McDaniel led the way for Beth-Center with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Palmer and Martin tallied eight points apiece.
鈥淲e never really had any good offensive flow,鈥� Greco said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a tribute to them, their sag-and-help. Our guys couldn鈥檛 turn the corner and beat them off the dribble.鈥�
McCombs felt his team鈥檚 familiarity with close games this year helped them stave off the Bulldogs鈥� numerous charges.
鈥淭hankfully, this year already we鈥檝e had several games that came down to the last minute, so that鈥檚 kind of prepared us for these stressful situations,鈥� McCombs said. 鈥淵ou can go over those situations in practice, but you can鈥檛 replicate what it鈥檚 like in an actual game until you experience it.
鈥淚 think before we were trying to not lose in those situations. Now we鈥檙e learning how to go out and get the win.鈥�
Joining Barrish on the all-tournament team were teammate Wilson, B-C鈥檚 Bower and McDaniel, Geibel Catholic鈥檚 Enzo Fetsko and Drew Howard, and Mapletown鈥檚 Ryan Tuttle.