MUNDELEIN — The Notre Dame boys basketball team’s 74-61 East Suburban Catholic road win over Carmel on Friday night was an example of why the future looks so bright for the Dons.
Notre Dame stormed out to a 15-2 lead against the Corsairs in the game’s first four minutes, but it was how they did so that was attention-grabbing. The Dons used strong post moves, efficient outside shooting, outstanding passing and easy transition baskets to send Carmel a strong message from the outset.
The Dons shot a blazing 76.9 percent (10-for-13) from the field during the first quarter, and shot better than 50 percent for the game.
“We haven’t fared too well in Carmel’s gym in the past, so I thought it was imperative we got off to a good start,” Notre Dame coach Tom Les said. “Our guys came out focused and determined, with a sense of urgency.”
The Dons’ lead ballooned to as many as 24 points twice in the third quarter, thanks in large part to the inside game of 6-5 junior forward Ammar Becar. Becar (26 points, seven rebounds) made his first seven shot attempts, dominated the paint, and looked unstoppable at times.
“I think it helped we had a little bit of a size advantage, but I don’t say that to take anything away from Carmel,” Becar said. “They’re a really tough team to play against, especially in their building with so many fans cheering them on. We knew this game would be a challenge, so I was really happy with the way our entire team responded.”
Becar consistently drew double-teams in the lane, which opened things up for 6-2 senior guard Joe Mooney, who also finished with 26 points and seven rebounds. Mooney made 10 of his first 11 shots, which included three three-pointers. One early in the second quarter was from well-beyond NBA range.
“That’s what happens when I have teammates who share the ball so well,” said Mooney, was also 5-of-6 from the foul line. “The way we’ve been moving and sharing the basketball has been a huge factor in our success this season. Everyone’s attacking the basket and playing aggressive, and that’s how you win games.”
The Dons improved to 17-4 overall, and 4-0 in the ESCC.
“We play a nine-game division schedule, so we still have our work cut out for us if we hope to win a conference championship,” Les said. “There are no easy games in our conference. On any given night, any team can beat you if you aren’t ready to go, so we’re not letting our success thus far go to our heads.”
Notre Dame uses just one senior (Mooney) in its starting lineup, which means it has the potential to further develop into an area basketball power not just down the stretch this year, but next season, too.
“We had a really good basketball team two years ago when we went 24-6,” Les said. “The difference with this year’s team compared to that one is this year we have a ton of guys who are big who can also score at the offensive end. It gives us so much versatility, and as a coach, so many options.
“You’ve got Ammar at 6-5 giving people fits, but we’ve also got underclassmen like [6-7 junior center] Anthony D’Avon, and [6-5 sophomore] Jeameril Wilson and [6-4 junior] Lucas Simon at the guard positions. When you have that combination of size and skill, and kids who want to play team basketball, it becomes that much more fun to watch and coach.”
The Dons have proven they’re for real, having taken Lake County powerhouse Lake Forest to overtime before losing, and also losing by four to an outstanding Hinsdale Central team.
“My one main concern is our defense,” Les said. “We’ve proven we can play with some of the top teams in the area, but we can’t have lapses like we had tonight when we let Carmel kind of pull closer late in the game. If we continue to work harder on defense the rest of the season, this team could really go places.”
Western Illinois verbal commit C.J. Duff scored a team-high 23 points for the Corsairs (9-12, 0-4), while Shareif Bailey had 15.
“Our guys gave a tremendous effort out there tonight,” Carmel coach Zack Ryan said. “We’re a young team that’s a little undersized though, but we’ll continue to get better.”