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Matz, Carmel able to pass up St. Viator

Her travel time to school might be double of some of her Carmel Catholic basketball teammates, but her first varsity double-double should have made for a sweet drive home for Kaytlyn Matz.

The 5-foot-10 sophomore had 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Carmel used a balanced offensive attack to pull out their East Suburban Catholic Conference opener, 54-51 over visiting St. Viator on Wednesday night.

"Trying to take that step up and help the team out," said Matz, who commutes 25 minutes from her home in Johnsburg.

"I love it here (at Carmel)."

The Corsairs (7-5) must love the production Matz is providing in her first varsity season. Her 2 free throws with 3.8 seconds left provided the final margin over St. Viator (7-5, 0-2). The Lions had erased a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter, only to surrender a 51-50 lead when Carmel's Brigit Barr (team-high 12 points) scored on a move into the paint with 39 seconds to go.

St. Viator missed the front end of 1-and-1's twice down the stretch, while Carmel missed 3 free throws in the final 73 seconds.

"I think it's better to just relax and then shoot it," Matz said of her clutch free throws. "It's all about the practice."

Carmel overcame a 27-point, 10-rebound effort from Saint Louis-bound Myia Clark, who sank five 3-pointers but missed a 3 in the final minute. Her half-court shot at the fourth-quarter buzzer was long.

"Too many mistakes at the end of the game," coach Jason Raymond said of his Lions. "You can go down the line: bad shot, bad foul, offensive rebound on a free throw, missed free throws."

While Clark accounted for more than half her team's points, Carmel featured three players in double figures. Katie Lach scored 5 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer, to match Matz with 10 points. After Clark was whistled for an offensive foul and technical on the same play, Lach buried 2 free throws to put Carmel up 47-41 with 4:22 left.

"I think both teams made mistakes, but both teams played really hard," Corsairs coach Ben Berg said. "Really proud of my girls."

St. Viator held a 20-12 advantage early in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Clark, but Berg switched to a zone, and that helped Carmel pull even by halftime at 24-24. St. Viator clung to a 34-33 lead entering the fourth thanks, in part, to third-quarter 3-pointers by Maddie Fitzpatrick and Michaela Mueller.

Carmel got huge minutes off the bench from 5-foot-5 Caitlin Teehan, who picked up 5 of her 7 rebounds on the offensive glass. Teehan also scored 5 of her 7 points, including a 3-pointer, in the fourth.

"She's a tough kid," Berg said. "We put her on No. 1 (Clark). She's not going to back down from anything."

Mueller and Olivia Solimene each had 7 points for St. Viator.

Ranya Jamison and Shai Horton added 8 and 7 points, respectively, for Carmel.

"This was a huge win for us," Matz said. "We were very pumped before the game. Our main thing is just to come out with a lot of heart."

  St. Viator's Myia Clark, left, drives on Carmel's Katie Lach on Wednesday night in Mundelein. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Carmel's Shai Horton, left, and St. Viator's Haley Robinson battle for a rebound Wednesday night in Mundelein. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  St. Viator's Myia Clark (1) drives on Carmel's Shai Horton on Wednesday night in Mundelein. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  St. Viator's Bridget DeZellar, right, looks to pass as Carmel's Brigit Barr defends on Wednesday night in Mundelein. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  St. Viator's Myia Clark drives in for a layup on Wednesday night at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Carmel's Katie Lach (11) and St. Viator's Natalie Krause battle for a rebound on Wednesday night in Mundelein. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Carmel's Olivia Vinci (22) drives past St. Viator's Olivia Solimene (2) and Carrie Leazer on Wednesday night in Mundelein. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  St. Viator's Myia Clark, right, drives on Carmel's Shai Horton on Wednesday night in Mundelein. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
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