Addison Trail withstands scare from Carmel
It was one of those games where you only look at your half of the scoreboard.
Addison Trail's boys basketball team hit a season high for points scored, but it was barely enough for the Blazers to hold on for Tuesday's 77-74 victory over visiting Carmel in the opening round of the Lake Zurich Martin Luther King Classic.
The Blazers (7-5) opened their biggest lead of 66-53 with 5:13 left in the game and quickly realized no lead was safe. Carmel (5-10) narrowed the gap to 3 points several times in the final minutes but couldn't get over the top.
Most importantly, the Corsairs couldn't get a stop when they needed it most. Trading baskets wasn't going to win the game.
"The offensive power that both teams had was amazing," said Blazers senior Colton Noel, who had 19 points and 8 rebounds. "I think that's the most points I've ever been a part of in the program. It got away from both defenses. We just proved we have the offensive power to compete with teams, but we need to get the defense there."
Trailing 71-68 with about a minute to play, Carmel had a chance to tie the game but missed a 3-point attempt. Noel answered with a pair of free throws, and Breydon Hargrove and Jack Kalbas went 4 for 4 at the line to keep the margin at two possessions.
Addison Trail overcame a game-high 31 points by Brian Julien, who knocked down a 3-pointer in the waning seconds to account for the final score.
"Offensively, this was one of our best showings of the year," said Carmel coach Zack Ryan. "In the end, and it's been a struggle for us the whole year, it's getting those big stops in the fourth quarter. That's where we lack."
Carmel twice held a 9-point advantage in the first half before Addison Trail erased it by halftime. After scoring the opening 8 points of the second half to build a 39-33 lead, the Blazers never trailed again.
Hargrove led the Blazers with 21 points, while Michael Williams scored 7 of his 15 in the fourth quarter and Kalbas added 11 points. Johnny Roeser had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Carmel. Evan Myers knocked down three 3-pointers and pitched in 13 points.
"There are a lot of things we can harp on with the guys, but if we can agree we weren't very good defensively and move on, that's fine," said Blazers coach Brendan Lyons. "I really wanted to talk to them about our offense because it's really been a slow kind of year for us. We played a lot better offensively tonight."
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