Mount Carmel cruises past St. Francis de Sales

THE SKINNY

Racing out to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter, Mount Carmel (8-2, 3-1) weathered a St. Francis de Sales comeback in the second quarter, going into halftime with a 34-21 advantage on the way to a 70-53 win in the Catholic League crossover.

TURNING POINT

Watching the Caravan’s 15-point lead shrink to just five at 26-21, Mount Carmel’s David Nichols sparked a late second quarter run. His hard-driving floater in the lane and a banked-in short jumper on a fast break started Mount Carmel’s 8-0 quarter-ending run heading into the half.

THE STAR

Nichols. The senior guard finished with a game-high 23 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.

BY THE NUMBERS

Led by Cornelius McIntosh’s 20 points, St. Francis de Sales (3-4, 0-2) never really recovered from the 15-0 first quarter deficit. Pioneers coach Bob Oderwald declined to comment why his starters didn’t play the first quarter. Gabe Grant (19 points) and Montana Byrd (15 points) contributed for Mount Carmel.

QUOTABLE

“We’re playing team basketball. We’ve got some injuries and guys coming back from football so we’ve got new guys stepping up every night. (In the second) we moved the ball, broke their press and got some easy baskets. We made some smart decisions and made easy layups.” – Nichols