Grant Best, Mount Carmel beat St. Louis in overtime. beat Patrick

If timing is everything, Give Your Best I set out to go to Mount Carmel on Monday night.

St. Best, who scored an important three-pointer for Caravan just before halftime against Patrick, actually faced a similar situation in the regional championship match a few days ago.

“I made the same shot last Friday against De La Salle at the end of the first half when I got the ball,” Best said, looking back and shrugging. “I went too far and missed it.

“I looked at the clock (Monday night) and Dylan Fulbright “He threw the ball to me and I knew I had to keep my feet on the ground.”

Best’s shot brought Mount Carmel back from the brink as the Caravan erased a nine-point first-half deficit in the Class 3A UIC Supersectional at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago.

In all, Best had a dazzling double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Mount Carmel, which trailed 24-20 at halftime, defeated the Shamrocks 56-46 in overtime.

Senior forward heading to Northwest Angelo Ciaravino We collected 15 points and cameron thomas He added 12 points for the Caravan (31-5), which will play in the state semifinals against Mount Zion (35-1), which beat Centralia 47-46 at 9:30 a.m. Friday at State Farm Center in Champaign.

sophomore guard Noah Mr. He also contributed eight points and seven assists for Mount Carmel, which will make its first state appearance since winning the Class AA championship in 1985.

That was 39 years ago. This wouldn’t have happened without Best, who scored 11 points in the first half.

Best, who shot 3/4 from three-point range, said, “We came out with very low energy at the beginning of the game and fell behind by nine points.” “I felt like I had to do something positive there.

“(Here) St. We had a game against Vashon from St. Louis, so I knew the ground and the background. I didn’t perform at my best in that match. “I didn’t have the best playoffs, but I knew I had to step up.”

Ciaravino also made just one basket in the first half, scoring three points.

“We have guys like Grant, they are all great players,” Ciaravino said. “They’re all capable of doing the same thing he did, stepping up and shooting.

“Our mentality is always the next player, and if I’m not making a good play, I know we have other players who can make great plays.”

While the 6-foot-10 Best’s outside shooting helped Mount Carmel find its offensive rhythm, his rebounding also proved to be a revelation for Caravan.

He crashed the boards with authority and created many second chance opportunities.

“Everyone knows what a great shooter Grant is, especially the shots he has in his bag,” the Mount Carmel coach said. Phil Segroves aforementioned. “But his thing is, he’s just a warrior on the field.

“He will continue to improve and grow with the way he shoots the ball. But what really stands out about Grant is his toughness, his grit and how competitive he is.”

Best also put his “next man up” theory to the test following a significant injury to the senior guard/forward. Lee MarksThe 6-7 shooter has been out since early February.

In this context, Best’s versatility has become even more important in the absence of Marks.

“He was our second-best player offensively,” Best said of Marks. “Because we gave up so many rebounds, he was doing the little things and scoring goals. It just meant I had to do a lot more.

The Caravans will seek their third major state championship after the football team won the Class 7A state championship and the wrestling program won the Class 3A dual team state championship.

“After the wrestling team won, we had a pep rally,” Best said. “The wrestling coach said every time someone wins a state championship we get a day off from school.

“Everyone trusts us”

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.