Molloy, Motzel key Carmel's cruise past Uplift
Wednesday was no ordinary day for a couple of Joes in the Molloy household.
As Carmel Catholic boys basketball player Joe Molloy prepared for his day, he and his dad, former Corsairs coach Joe Molloy, chatted about son's regional opener that night.
"We talked about that this morning," the younger Joe Molloy said. "I brought it up. I was like, 'Are you the last (Carmel coach) to win a regional?' He's like, 'Yeah, I guess.'
"Then he said, 'Get it done.' "
A son listened to his dad.
Joe Molloy scored a career-high 17 points, and 6-foot-7 center Brandon Motzel added 16 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, as sixth-seeded Carmel captured a 62-26 win over No. 11 Chicago Uplift in a Class 3A regional semifinal at Carmel.
It was Carmel's first win in state tournament play since coach Joe Molloy's Corsairs beat Vernon Hills in the Libertyville regional in 2004. Carmel (11-14) now seeks its first regional championship since 1991, when the Corsairs host No. 3 Lakes (18-10) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
With his dad in attendance, as always, Molloy, a 6-foot senior, poured in 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in helping Carmel build a 16-4 lead after one quarter.
"I've been working hard," said Molloy, who missed a good chunk of his junior season with an ulcer. "Me and my dad have been shooting a lot at the gym together. My teammates have been doing a great job getting me the ball and getting me open."
Molloy was making his second straight start and just his third overall. He also started Opening Night.
"He definitely deserves a starting spot," Carmel guard Connor Jordan said. "He's been working hard all season, getting his shot and now it's starting to fall. It's looking good. I like to pass out to the corner for that 3."
Jordan played well too, scoring 8 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists and taking 3 charges. He also came up with 2 steals. The senior, who often directs the offense, missed 11 games earlier in the season with mono. The Corsairs didn't get him back in the lineup until after the holidays.
"It's been a work in progress because he had to try to get back in shape and then try to get a game-type mentality," Carmel coach Tim Bowen said after his team won its second in a row and fourth in six games. "We've always said he's got to be mentally strong for us because we need that edge at the end of a game. ... He's getting better."
Which goes for his health, as well.
"It's all in the past," Jordan said of his bout with mono. "The first two weeks the conditioning was a little here and there, but then after that I felt like I was good and the game was coming back to me."
Jordan scored 7 points in the third quarter in helping Carmel stretch a 26-10 halftime advantage to 48-20 entering the fourth.
"He's been so important," Molloy said. "It's so different having him out there because he's always a threat to get to the basket, he always makes the right pass, and he's a great defender."
In a foul-plagued third quarter, Molloy wound up shooting 6 free throws as the result of 3 technical fouls. For the game, he went 7 of 10 from the stripe.
Molloy's 3, off a feed from Jordan, and his layup, off sophomore Nickai Poyer's dish, had Carmel up 8-0 with 2:40 left in the first quarter.
Molloy had a 15-point effort against Nazareth in early February and tossed in 11 points in Carmel's last game against Marian Central.
"His development has been probably the best thing for this program," Bowen said. "We're so happy to have him playing the way he is now. He's probably the most improved player in our group. He's just a completely different player.
"He's toughened up," Bowen added. "He's taking the ball to the basket, making shots and playing good defense. Like I told him, if you're going to peak, now is the best time to do it."