Mt. Carmel survives Peoria C. in OT
By Drake Skleba
No. 10 Mt.Carmel and Peoria Central provided the fans at the 2009 Deron Williams Shootout at the Hall Saturday with an exciting fourth game of the day.
Although the game was not an artistic success, Mt. Carmel (7-1) won a thrilling 68-62 OT victory over the previously undefeated Lions.
Mt. Carmel was led by Illinois recruit Tracy Abrams, who scored 17 points and had eight rebounds. Abrams played at about 70%, still feeling the effects of an ankle injury.
"It was great to play here at the Assembly Hall," said Abrams. "I try to do things to help all my teammates play better. This was a good win over a quality Peoria team."
The teams played to a 59-59 tie after 32 minutes of action.
With 2:38 left in OT, Mt. Carmel 6-foot-3 senior F Adonis Filer (13 points, four rebounds) nailed a trey to put the Caravan up 62-59.
Peoria Central (5-1) tied the game at 62 on a free throw by senior F D.Tony Banks (16 points; five rebounds) and a bucket by sophomore G "Bobo" Drummond.
Caravan 6-foot-8 senior C Jon Gac had a put-back bucket to put the Caravan back up 64-62 with 1:50 left.
The Peoria Central bench was nailed with a technical foul for a substitution violation and Mt. Carmel's 6-foot-5 senior G Billy Clark nailed both technical foul shots to wrap up the Caravan win.
Clark had a great all-around game for Mt. Carmel. He scored 13 points and added seven assists and four rebounds.
Mt. Carmel had a horrendous day at the charity stripe going 15-for-30 for the game.
The Caravan had a 59-54 lead with one minute left in regulation. But turnovers and missed free throws allowed Central to send the game into overtime on a buzzer-beater from Lion 6-foot-5 soph Devonte Lawson (11 points, 10 rebounds).
Mt. Carmel junior G Kevin McKenzie scored 10 points, which included some big buckets in the fourth quarter.
"Our free-throw shooting was a disaster today," said Mt. Carmel head coach Mike Flaherty. "We played poorly today, but it showed the fortitude of our club to win while playing so poorly."
