That group included IndyStar Mr. Basketball Caleb Furst of Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, who was named most valuable player after a 14-point, 17-rebound effort. With the 86-70 win, Indiana improved its overall series lead to 101-44 over Kentucky and is 27-3 since 2005.
“He’s obviously very talented and very steady,” Osborn said of the 6-10 Purdue recruit. “You know what you are going to get from him. I felt like Kentucky went at him a little bit and he responded and had a great second half.”
Furst and crew had to do it in the second half without 6-9 Purdue recruit Trey Kaufman-Renn. The Silver Creek star appeared to injury a finger on his right hand in the final minute of the first half. He returned to the bench early in the second half with his hand wrapped and did not return to action, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds.
IHSAA basketball: Carmel beats Lawrence North in OT for Class 4A title indystar.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indystar.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The body language as Carmel and Lawrence North left the court on Feb. 4 displayed an even greater disparity than the final score.
Carmel players, in a game that was effectively over in the third quarter of a 63-49 victory, ran off the floor together with confidence, heads high. Lawrence North looked fractured, like a team in disarray. Lawrence North senior D.J. Hughes called the loss a “wake-up call.”
“We were kind of on a high horse going into that game,” said Hughes, a 6-7 Butler commit. “We were playing selfish at the time. We weren’t playing as a team. Now, we’re a completely different team than before. We’re lifting up each other and we’re playing the best defense we’ve played all season. Carmel is going to see a different team in the state game, especially with all that is on the line.”