By CHARLES PENDELL
charles.pendell@mcleansborotimesleader.com
HARRISBURG — Hamilton County’s up-and-down boys basketball season came to an end last week.
The Foxes finished with a 16-14 record after falling to Carmi 48-33 in the semifinals of the Class 2A Harrisburg Regional on Feb. 24.
Carmi, which wound up splitting four games against the Foxes this season, lost in the regional championship game against host Harrisburg on Friday night to finish 17-13.
Against the Foxes, Carmi gained a major advantage from the free throw line, especially in the second half; the Bulldogs were whistled for only four fouls compared to 19 for the Foxes. The Foxes attempted just three free throws, hitting one; Carmi went to the line 29 times and connected on 19.
In his last game as a Fox, Duke “The Earl” Griesemer had a double-double; the 6-foot-6 senior center scored more than half of the Foxes’ points — 17 — and pulled down 10 rebounds, picked up five steals and blocked two shots.
Griesemer also had to guard 6-6 Carmi junior center Lawson Warren at least part of the time. Warren also had a double-double, scoring 19 points, pulling down 10 boards and blocking five shots.
“We missed 12 layups and were five for 30 from the field in the first half, and you have to put the ball in the hole,” Fox coach Curt Reed said. “We know we don’t have the best scorers in the world, but we didn’t screen out, and when you don’t screen out, you start to foul and you get upset with yourself and you get down on yourself and don’t want to play anymore.”
Reed said his team “didn’t come out with any fire” against the Bulldogs, whom they had beaten in two of three previous meetings this season.
Hamilton County shot just 15 of 56 from the field (27 percent) and connected on only two of 17 treys (12 percent).
Carmi held an 11-10 advantage after one quarter, with Griesemer getting seven of his game-high 17 points in the quarter. With 4:30 left in the opening quarter, he picked up a steal at the Bulldog free throw line and rambled all the way to the other end for a layup.
Griesemer also pulled down five boards in that span, but he picked up his second foul with 36 seconds left in the first quarter and left the game.
Robert Rubenacker’s 3-pointer with 11 seconds to go in the first quarter shaved Carmi’s lead to one.
Carmi reeled off five points in a row to end the first half on top 25-16. In addition to cold shooting, the Foxes had eight turnovers in the first half.
Carmi hit a trey to increase its lead to 12 to start the third quarter. Another Griesemer steal and layup followed by Robert Rubenacker’s second trey of the night later trimmed the margin to 30-23, but the Bulldogs were up 34-25 at the third-quarter stop.
Carmi went to the free throw line three times in the first three minutes of the final quarter, sinking five-of-six free throws, and led 39-29 with 3:56 left to play.
Griesemer’s rebound stickback cut the Bulldog lead to 39-31, but Carmi added three free throws and a driving layup by Warren to up the lead to 43-31.
Rubenacker finished with six points, Brandon and Justin Webb four each and Chad Flannigan two.
