Mt. Carmel Defeats a Cold-Hot Poway

By halftime, Doug Wealch looked like he had been through the wringer, and in some ways, he had.

His team, fifth-ranked Poway, was off to yet another futile first half.

Mt. Carmel, ranked No. 1, built a big lead in the first 16 minutes of the game Friday and held on for a boys’ basketball victory at home against the Titans, 79-70, to remain tied for the Palomar League lead. The Sundevils, playing for the first time since being upset at Fallbrook Wednesday, improved to 13-2, 3-1. Poway dropped to 9-4, 2-2.

Although Mt. Carmel’s Dana Pope and Ryan Wootton scored 23 and 19 points, respectively, it was a basket by a reserve, Aaron Harmon, that sparked the Sundevils.

Poway had wiped out a 12-point, second-quarter lead and had pulled to 71-70 when Chris Goode, at the high post, found Harmon on a backdoor sprint to the basket to give Mt. Carmel a 73-70 lead with 1:04 left.

“That was the big one,” Mt. Carmel Coach John Marincovich said. “We were having trouble offensively, and Aaron went to the hole. That’s when the lead started increasing.”

Goode followed with a tip-in and Pope hit a pair of free-throws in the final 30 seconds as time ran out on Poway’s rally.

“I thought we had it in the bag (at 71-70),” said Poway center Kyle Milling, who had 23 points and seven rebounds. “We made a few tough fouls and they made the free-throws.

“Our minds were set on winning this game, to prove we were better, and we couldn’t do it.”

Mt. Carmel was 10 of 11 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. They were 23 of 27 in the game. Poway was 11 of 17.

In addition to scoring 23, Pope led Mt. Carmel wih nine rebounds and seven assists.

Wealch still cannot determine why his team plays so well in the second half and so poorly in the first.

One reason Poway was able to make a game of it was the play of Frank Garrett, who scored 18 of his 20 of his points in the second half.

In the first two minutes of the third period, Garrett scored six points, had two rebounds and a steal, helping Poway close to 43-40. “That’s his best half of the year,” Wealch said.

Poway also got 16 points from Bill Rarity.

Bill Landry had 10 points for Mt. Carmel, nine in the first quarter.