Carmel sophomores await Libertyville rematch next Tuesday.
It’s been a year since Carmel roared back from a 15 point halftime deficit to beat crosstown rival Libertyville by two points. Now, as sophomores, the two teams square up again this Tuesday for bragging rights for the next year.
Libertyville features three players who were not part of last year’s collapse: freshmen Ayden Boone, Cole Bonder, and Jack Huber. Boone and the lefty Bonder present a nightmare matchup in the low post. Carmel will have to deploy Luke Nalewajk and General Schofield and hope that they stay out of foul trouble. If Carmel switches to a zone, they can expect Bonder to switch to a high post position. Buffalo Grove failed to deny entry passes to Bonder in that slot. Carmel will have to get creative to have more success.
On the perimeter, Huber will catch the attention of Carmel’s guards. Roan Del Carmen and Asher Jackson may have to rotate to contain him. Huber lit Viators for 23 points and then torched York with five second half 3’s.
The edge may go to Libertyville until you factor in the sixth man.
Fresh off a season on the varsity soccer team, Carmel’s 6’3″ sixth man aims to use all of his 205 pounds to punish the Cats in the low post. Libertyville brings skill off their bench with Brett Scheuneman and Joey Yurik. But how will they contend with the raw athleticism of Carmel’s secret six man?
Libertyville’s coaching staff had more questions than answers, and head coach Jeff Heiden quickly downplayed the game, “Honestly, it’s a new year. Three of our players are freshmen, and they weren’t even at our school last year. Every year is a brand new team. We’re not concerned at all with last year.”
Some of the players feel otherwise. “We know a bunch of guys on Libertyville. We understand that they feel they need to dip into the freshmen class to compete with us, and that’s OK, ” observed reserve guard Joe Rudolph. “This game is about sophomores. Many of us are looking forward to playing against Johnny Graham who went to school with us through 8th grade.”
Graham was a star guard at St. Joe’s who now captains the Libertyville sophomore team. Some of the Carmel athletes, including forward Liam McGargill, played on basketball teams coached by Mrs. Graham, a former athlete. When asked if he was concerned about matching up with Johnny Graham on Tuesday, McGargill responded, “Nah. But I’d be worried to play against his mom. She’s better than he is.”
