Now there’s another reason for opponents to fear Sweet 16 No. 2 Carmel Christian
BY STEVE LYTTLE UPDATED JANUARY 07, 2022 11:59 PM
Just what the Carmel Christian boys’ basketball needed — another scoring threat. The Cougars displayed plenty of firepower in their first 17 games this season, running to a 15-2 record and climbing to No. 2 in the Observer’s Sweet 16.
But Carmel Christian head coach Joe Badgett wanted something more.
“We needed more of an inside presence,” Badgett said Friday night, after his Cougars trounced 11th-ranked United Faith 80-59.
Introducing 6-10 junior center Kaleb Siler.
“We’ve been trying to work Kaleb more into what we’re doing offensively,” Badgett said. “He didn’t ask for the ball early in the season, but now he’s getting more aggressive on the inside with the ball.”
Siler was the dominant force Friday night, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He nearly quadrupled his season per-game scoring average of 5.5 points.
“That’s what we’ll be trying to do for the rest of the season,” Badgett said. “Our other players are still adjusting to it, but we’re making progress.”
Siler’s offensive work takes some of the pressure off the Cougars’ 6-7 senior standout, Cade Tyson, who entered the game with a 23.9-points-per-game average. Tyson finished with 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He also had four assists on baskets by Siler.
“We’ve still got a ways to go,” Badgett said of his team. “But we’re making steady progress.”
The Cougars have played a tough schedule, beating West Charlotte by 16 points in mid-December and then going 1-2 against teams from South Carolina and Virginia in a holiday tournament.
“That schedule will make us better at the end,” Badgett said. “Our goal is to keep playing, to win that last game.”
The visiting Falcons (10-5) gave Carmel Christian trouble in the first half. They fell behind 33-19 late in the half but went on an 8-1 run and trailed 34-27 at intermission. The Cougars, playing before a raucous crowd in a packed gym, ended the suspense in the third quarter. They outscored United Faith 25-12 and weren’t threatened again.
Siler (seven points, three rebounds) and Tyson (six points, five rebounds) led the third-quarter surge.
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Kaleb Siler, Carmel Christian: A junior, Siler hit 9-of-13 from the floor and finished with a team-high 19 points. He added nine rebounds.
Alex Bates: Bates, a 6-5 junior wing, came off the bench and scored a game-high 21 points. He made 6-of-13 from the floor, including three 3-pointers.
Cade Tyson, Carmel Christian: Tyson, a Belmont commit, scored 13 points, making 6-of-10 from the floor, and added 12 rebounds.
WORTH MENTIONING ▪
Here’s a game for fans to circle on their calendars — Chambers vs. Carmel Christian. It happens next Saturday, as part of a six-game package in the MLK Classic at Carmel Christian.
▪ Carmel Christian shot 54 percent from the floor, hitting 34-of-63. United Faith made 20-of-59 for 34 percent.
▪ One big difference in the second half was rebounding. United Faith outrebounded the Cougars 22-15 in the first half, but Carmel Christian had a 22-9 edge after intermission. WHAT’S NEXT
Carmel Christian hosts Asheville School next Friday, then faces Chambers on Saturday in the MLK Classic on the Cougars’ floor. United Faith travels to Woodlawn School on Tuesday.
BY STEVE LYTTLE UPDATED JANUARY 07, 2022 11:59 PM
Just what the Carmel Christian boys’ basketball needed — another scoring threat. The Cougars displayed plenty of firepower in their first 17 games this season, running to a 15-2 record and climbing to No. 2 in the Observer’s Sweet 16.
But Carmel Christian head coach Joe Badgett wanted something more.
“We needed more of an inside presence,” Badgett said Friday night, after his Cougars trounced 11th-ranked United Faith 80-59.
Introducing 6-10 junior center Kaleb Siler.
“We’ve been trying to work Kaleb more into what we’re doing offensively,” Badgett said. “He didn’t ask for the ball early in the season, but now he’s getting more aggressive on the inside with the ball.”
Siler was the dominant force Friday night, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He nearly quadrupled his season per-game scoring average of 5.5 points.
“That’s what we’ll be trying to do for the rest of the season,” Badgett said. “Our other players are still adjusting to it, but we’re making progress.”
Siler’s offensive work takes some of the pressure off the Cougars’ 6-7 senior standout, Cade Tyson, who entered the game with a 23.9-points-per-game average. Tyson finished with 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He also had four assists on baskets by Siler.
“We’ve still got a ways to go,” Badgett said of his team. “But we’re making steady progress.”
The Cougars have played a tough schedule, beating West Charlotte by 16 points in mid-December and then going 1-2 against teams from South Carolina and Virginia in a holiday tournament.
“That schedule will make us better at the end,” Badgett said. “Our goal is to keep playing, to win that last game.”
The visiting Falcons (10-5) gave Carmel Christian trouble in the first half. They fell behind 33-19 late in the half but went on an 8-1 run and trailed 34-27 at intermission. The Cougars, playing before a raucous crowd in a packed gym, ended the suspense in the third quarter. They outscored United Faith 25-12 and weren’t threatened again.
Siler (seven points, three rebounds) and Tyson (six points, five rebounds) led the third-quarter surge.
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Kaleb Siler, Carmel Christian: A junior, Siler hit 9-of-13 from the floor and finished with a team-high 19 points. He added nine rebounds.
Alex Bates: Bates, a 6-5 junior wing, came off the bench and scored a game-high 21 points. He made 6-of-13 from the floor, including three 3-pointers.
Cade Tyson, Carmel Christian: Tyson, a Belmont commit, scored 13 points, making 6-of-10 from the floor, and added 12 rebounds.
WORTH MENTIONING ▪
Here’s a game for fans to circle on their calendars — Chambers vs. Carmel Christian. It happens next Saturday, as part of a six-game package in the MLK Classic at Carmel Christian.
▪ Carmel Christian shot 54 percent from the floor, hitting 34-of-63. United Faith made 20-of-59 for 34 percent.
▪ One big difference in the second half was rebounding. United Faith outrebounded the Cougars 22-15 in the first half, but Carmel Christian had a 22-9 edge after intermission. WHAT’S NEXT
Carmel Christian hosts Asheville School next Friday, then faces Chambers on Saturday in the MLK Classic on the Cougars’ floor. United Faith travels to Woodlawn School on Tuesday.
