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Carmel can't catch up to quick-starting St. Patrick

In the week leading up to Friday night's East Suburban Catholic Conference matchup with visiting St. Patrick, Carmel boys basketball coach Zack Ryan emphasized the importance of a good start.

The Shamrocks, however, had a similar game plan.

And during the long rush-hour bus ride, senior Nicolas Coleman and his Shamrocks teammates had plenty of time to think about it.

"Last year we had trouble starting fast," Coleman said. "It's something we have really focused on this year - getting started fast."

St. Patrick did start fast, much to the dismay of Ryan and the Corsairs. The Shamrocks jumped on Carmel 19-4 in the first quarter and stayed in control the whole way in an impressive 67-42 win in Mundelein on Friday night.

"When we start off fast, it puts other teams down and really works in our favor the entire game," said Coleman, who chipped in with 15 points and 7 assists.

To make matters worse, Ryan and the Corsairs suspected St. Patrick would try to hit them with an early burst of energy.

"We stressed all week getting off to a good start against a good team, a well-coached team, and an experienced team," Ryan said. "I don't know why we didn't come out ready to play."

The game included senior night attention, and a salute to the 1984-85, and '85-86 sectional champion Carmel teams. That could have contributed to the sluggish start. But in the end, the Shamrocks themselves probably made the biggest difference.

St. Patrick (14-6, 3-3) shot about as well as a team could in taking the 13-point first quarter lead. The Shamrocks made 9 of their first 11 shots in opening up the double-digit cushion that never dipped below double figures the rest of the night.

Carmel (11-14, 1-6) chipped into the margin to start the second quarter, with 5 quick points turning the deficit to just 19-9 with 7:20 left before half.

"I thought we bounced back well in the second quarter," Ryan said. "We got the margin down to 10 or so and had a chance if we score and get a stop. But we didn't get it, and St. Pats just kept coming."

After cutting it to 10, the Shamrocks went on a 10-0 spurt of their own to build the margin to 29-9 with 5:29 to go before half. The Shamrocks' post duo of Duncan White (9 points) and Andres Velazquez-Camacho were too much for Carmel inside.

"There aren't many big guys that will run the floor like that," Coleman said. "So when I see those guys run like that I want to do whatever I can to get them the ball."

Velazquez-Camacho finished with 15 points and 10 boards. Isaac Moore scored 9 of his game-best 16 points in the third quarter as the visitors blew the game open. St. Pats opened the half on a 10-2 burst to take the margin to 45-25 early in the period.

"We had a couple times in the third quarter where we needed a basket and a stop," Ryan said. "You do that and maybe get it under 10 . . . and we didn't get it done."

Christopher Duff kept the Corsairs going offensively with a team-best 12 points. Senior Julian Johnson dropped in a pair of long 3-pointers and finished with 8 points for Carmel.

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