Exactly one year from the date when Carlmont played Hillsdale in its last tournament, the script seemed to be completely flipped. While the Scots saw themselves take a one-sided victory last time around, the Knights took charge in this one, earning a 54-40 win that advanced them to the tournament’s next stage.
Senior William “Junior” Cotton paved the way for the Knights with a game 27-point, 10 rebound double-double effort on 12-of-24 shooting from the field. Both his point total and rebound count were game highs. The Scots, meanwhile, had three players with eight points each: seniors Abram Guldbech and Will Hesselgren, plus Tim Netane, a sophomore.
The difference that one year makes is that Carlmont has just four players from last year’s varsity squad on this year’s roster, leaving them one short of even a starting five who played on the varsity level last season.
“With each of these games we’re gaining experience, and I love the fight we had for most of the game. I talked to them about playing all the way through, and I didn’t think we had the same fire in the last minutes that we have to have, but I’m proud of the effort we had in the other three quarters,” said Carlmont head coach Ron Ozorio.
The Knights took advantage of this, although the 14-point score gap is misleading, as it was anybody’s game throughout the first three quarters. At the end of the first quarter and start of the second, the Scots went on a 9-0 run to put the score at 14-6. Hillsdale then went on a run of its own, closing out the half going on an 18-9 surge to head into the locker room up 24-23.
“It was a game of runs for three and a half quarters, and they’re a very good team. They’re difficult to contain and have guys who are able to create their own shots and they let it fly quickly,” Ozorio said. “On their side, they can turn a four-point advantage into a ten-point advantage in 25 seconds if you’re not with it on every play. We just lost focus there”
Things then ran away from Carlmont in the second half, in which Cotton got hot and scored 20 of his 27 points.
“Shooters shoot; when you heat up just keep shooting shots. I just kept playing my game and we played well as a team to get that win,” Cotton said. “Our coach also got us focused and energized in the locker room, so we just came out with a new mindset in the second half and just did our thing.”
After outscoring Carlmont 13-11 in the third quarter, the Knights quickly seized momentum in the fourth, scoring 17 to the Scots’ six, and pulling away for the victory.
“I believe it’s all about our teams mentality. When we lose hope or doubt ourselves, even just a bit, it gives the other team a huge opportunity to take the lead and win the game,” Netane said. “That was one of the main points our coach talked to us about after the game, so that we can change for upcoming games and stay cool, calm, and collected throughout the entirety of each game.”
The Scots’ lackadaisical fourth quarter was plagued by turnovers, which Carlmont hopes to cut down on before their next game.
“It’s still early in the season but I know for sure that one way we can stop turnovers like that is by taking our time in our offense, and not rushing anything. At the same time, we should also not go too slow,” Netane said.
Carlmont’s next game is an away battle versus Westmoor (2-1) on Tuesday, while Hillsdale will finish up the tournament playing Jefferson (2-1).
