Homestead isn’t alone. Snider proved they are an elite team after their close 65-63 win over the Spartans in the semifinals. They’re high-powered lineup was able to withstand Luke Goode, with Michael Eley scoring 31 points and Dillon Duff helping out with 16 points. Then, Carroll showed they’re legit by defeating Snider 60-48 for the championship. There is parity in the SAC.
This was the Chargers’ first time winning it all in the SAC tournament after nearly winning it in 2015, if not for a tough loss to North Side. Ray Vollmer (21 points) and Jalen Jackson (20 points) made sure it didn’t happen again. They were able to hold everyone on Snider’s deadly starting lineup to under 10 points. In fact, Karson Jenkins (14 points) was the only Panther in double-digits when the final buzzer sounded. It could have been that Snider just got done holding off Homestead, or, as head coach Marty Beasley said afterward, they were just a little fortunate.
“Got lucky I guess. They’re so good and they got 4 guys in the top 50. They might beat us the next 9 times because they’re so talented, but we’ll take this one.”
It will definitely help Carroll’s confidence to know that they can do more than just compete with the big boys. They can win vs teams like Snider and Homestead. They have a great blend of young talent and experienced upperclassmen and it all came together for them in the tournament win.
“We moved the ball, we’ve got unselfish guys, we believe in ‘we before me’, and we can guard,” Beasley says. “If we can do those things and make enough shots then we’re going to be in it. Our guys have done a great job the whole year so far. Great kids; they want to do well and play well together, they represent our school extremely well.”
It was a big weekend for Carroll as they now have the best record in the SAC, at 8-1. Right on their tail is Snider and Homestead, both at 6-2. All three teams will play each other in January and February as the SAC becomes a 3 team race. Expectations for the Chargers though will be much higher now that they’ve won and they’ll have to continue to play at a high level.
“They still have to go out and play,” Beasley says, reminding fans that the real season starts now. “They got a target on their backs now so they got to come out and compete harder every night. But I think it’s great to have it right now and get a week off, come back and get after it again.”
