The top-seeded Carmel Christian Cougars defeated the Charlotte Latin Hawks 66-50 to clinch a NCISAA semifinal berth Saturday using a furious defensive effort. The Cougars offense was a bit stagnant in the early going, but the No. 1 team in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 really turned things up in the third quarter.
“This is a fairly new bunch,” Carmel coach Joe Badgett said.
“We only had four kids on our roster that played in the state finals last year. It’s new for these guys, so I expected them to be a little tight.”
Cougars senior forward Bryce Cash led his team with 26 points in the win. He hit three 3-point baskets and scored inside. Cash really provided the spark for the Cougars on offense in the second half as they turned a 26-20 halftime lead into a consistent double-digit lead in the second half.
“I really let my defense give me the energy just to go out there on offense and play freely,” Cash said. “Coach Badgett trusts us as players to play freely and my defense is my motor. It’s easy to hit shots when you have that motor.”
The Cougars made it difficult on Latin star Ned Hull all game, despite him scoring 17 points. He wasn’t allowed any clean looks, and the Cougars were forcing him to bring the ball up the floor, which was adding to his fatigue.
“I think for the most part Khamani Wertz just did a great job of chasing him,” Badgett said.
“Then we had guys stepping up and being where they needed to be to hedge him off of their screen actions so he wasn’t just getting clean looks. Later on you could see that it got to him a little bit the way those shots were really tough.”
Despite a scoreless first quarter for Carmel’s Jaeden Mustaf, a top-40 national recruit in the class of 2024, he got things cranked up in the second and third quarters. Mustaf drew fouls, made free throws and made some timely scores. He finished with 16 points. Like Cash and Badgett, Mustaf credits the win to the high-level defense that his team showed during the entire game.
“We did a great job tonight playing defense,” Mustaf said.
“We had a game plan, and I think we followed it pretty much exactly how we wanted to. We scouted them a lot and really just did what we were supposed to do.”
Coach Badgett knows how hard it is to win championships. His teams have won state championship in three of the past five years, including winning the 4A title in 2022. He also knows that a team’s success doesn’t always come on the offensive side of the ball. Badgett feels defense is more consistent — and that’s what he wants his team to focus on.
“If you are playing in the state (playoffs) and you are worried about your offense then you will be in trouble,” Badgett said. “That isn’t what it comes down to. It is about who can guard. We have to be disciplined.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Bryce Cash, Carmel Christian: The senior forward led his team in scoring, and he did it in a variety of ways. He stretched the floor by shooting 3s and in doing so, it was opening up dribble-drive opportunities for himself as well.
Ned Hull, Charlotte Latin: He seemed to be the main weapon for the Hawks. He is a sharpshooter who can make teams pay if they sag off of him, even for a split second. He finished the game with 17 points, nine of which came off 3-point baskets.
Jaeden Mustaf, Carmel Christian: The 4-star junior might not have had his best scoring night by his standards, but he made up for it on the defensive side of the ball, hounding his matchup and forcing a few turnovers in the process.
WHAT’S NEXT Carmel Christian will host Providence Day on Feb. 21 in what can be expected to be a capacity crowd.
Scoring Summary
Carmel Christian 14 12 20 20 — 66
Charlotte Latin 9 11 9 21 — 50
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 66: Cash 26, Mustaf 16, Freeman 11, Wertz 4, Smith 5, Silver 4
CHARLOTTE LATIN 50: Hull 17, Jones 7, Levy 6, Pence 3, Rose 15, Swimmer 2
“This is a fairly new bunch,” Carmel coach Joe Badgett said.
“We only had four kids on our roster that played in the state finals last year. It’s new for these guys, so I expected them to be a little tight.”
Cougars senior forward Bryce Cash led his team with 26 points in the win. He hit three 3-point baskets and scored inside. Cash really provided the spark for the Cougars on offense in the second half as they turned a 26-20 halftime lead into a consistent double-digit lead in the second half.
“I really let my defense give me the energy just to go out there on offense and play freely,” Cash said. “Coach Badgett trusts us as players to play freely and my defense is my motor. It’s easy to hit shots when you have that motor.”
The Cougars made it difficult on Latin star Ned Hull all game, despite him scoring 17 points. He wasn’t allowed any clean looks, and the Cougars were forcing him to bring the ball up the floor, which was adding to his fatigue.
“I think for the most part Khamani Wertz just did a great job of chasing him,” Badgett said.
“Then we had guys stepping up and being where they needed to be to hedge him off of their screen actions so he wasn’t just getting clean looks. Later on you could see that it got to him a little bit the way those shots were really tough.”
Despite a scoreless first quarter for Carmel’s Jaeden Mustaf, a top-40 national recruit in the class of 2024, he got things cranked up in the second and third quarters. Mustaf drew fouls, made free throws and made some timely scores. He finished with 16 points. Like Cash and Badgett, Mustaf credits the win to the high-level defense that his team showed during the entire game.
“We did a great job tonight playing defense,” Mustaf said.
“We had a game plan, and I think we followed it pretty much exactly how we wanted to. We scouted them a lot and really just did what we were supposed to do.”
Coach Badgett knows how hard it is to win championships. His teams have won state championship in three of the past five years, including winning the 4A title in 2022. He also knows that a team’s success doesn’t always come on the offensive side of the ball. Badgett feels defense is more consistent — and that’s what he wants his team to focus on.
“If you are playing in the state (playoffs) and you are worried about your offense then you will be in trouble,” Badgett said. “That isn’t what it comes down to. It is about who can guard. We have to be disciplined.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Bryce Cash, Carmel Christian: The senior forward led his team in scoring, and he did it in a variety of ways. He stretched the floor by shooting 3s and in doing so, it was opening up dribble-drive opportunities for himself as well.
Ned Hull, Charlotte Latin: He seemed to be the main weapon for the Hawks. He is a sharpshooter who can make teams pay if they sag off of him, even for a split second. He finished the game with 17 points, nine of which came off 3-point baskets.
Jaeden Mustaf, Carmel Christian: The 4-star junior might not have had his best scoring night by his standards, but he made up for it on the defensive side of the ball, hounding his matchup and forcing a few turnovers in the process.
WHAT’S NEXT Carmel Christian will host Providence Day on Feb. 21 in what can be expected to be a capacity crowd.
Scoring Summary
Carmel Christian 14 12 20 20 — 66
Charlotte Latin 9 11 9 21 — 50
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 66: Cash 26, Mustaf 16, Freeman 11, Wertz 4, Smith 5, Silver 4
CHARLOTTE LATIN 50: Hull 17, Jones 7, Levy 6, Pence 3, Rose 15, Swimmer 2