Bishop Carroll's Brandon Newell (4) drives on Kapaun's Steve Young in the 2nd quarter Tuesday night at Kapaun Mt. Carmel High. (Dec. 13, 2011) Fernando Salazar/The Wichita Eagle | Buy this photo
Kapaun wears down Carroll
Kapaun Mount Carmel's Michael Martin was flashy. Nick Cook was steady.
And Kapaun's home crowd, well, they were just wild.
All mixed together, they equaled a 45-34 victory for the Crusaders over Bishop Carroll on Tuesday night.
"We struggled for the last week with communication, with executing," Kapaun coach John Cherne said. "So we came in at practice all week and I was blaring music, not to simulate crowd noise, but to get them to communicate better.
"The first couple of times they hear 'Thunderstruck' they're singing along, joking, but pretty soon it just becomes white noise and they're communicating better. We saw that tonight."
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, with Martin picking up two fouls early, which forced him to sit and watch as Kapaun took a 19-12 halftime lead.
"We tried to put me back in but Carroll was smart," Martin said. "Immediately you could tell they were going after me for that third foul."
Kapaun led 19-12 at halftime and 23-19 after three quarters, but the pace quickened in the final period.
Carroll rallied for a 27-25 lead on a basket from Logan Bullinger, but Martin answered back with a three-pointer, holding his arm up as he backpedaled down the court.
"I guess I just wanted to let them know I was still there," Martin said, smiling.
Two free throws from Bullinger gave the Eagles the lead back at 29-28.
A three-pointer from Kapaun's Steven Young followed by a steal and a basket by Martin started a 15-3 run that put the game away.
"Our team is starving for leadership," Carroll coach Lonnie Lollar said. "Our effort is good, we've just got to learn that you need to compete for the full 32 minutes."
Cook hit 6 of 6 free throws in the final run and finished with a game-high 12 points while Martin finished with 10. Jordan Bieberle led Carroll with nine points.
"Our guards played excellent down the stretch," Cook said. "They played with a lot of energy and that gave our whole team a boost."
The Kapaun student section, donning all black and filled to the brim, stayed vocal the entire game. The students emulated every move Lollar made during the first and third quarters and as the final seconds ticked off the clock, Cherne pointed at the students and began to clap for them.
"They were amazing tonight," Cherne said. "Give them some credit, because that was awesome."
Caroll (1-3, 1-3) 6 6 7 15 — 34 Kapaun (2-3, 2-3) 13 6 4 22 — 45
BISHOP CARROLL: Newell 2 3-4 7, Ta. Palmore 3 0-2 7, Bullinger 3 1-1 7, Bieberle 4 0-0 9, Ty. Palmore 1 0-2 2, Price 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 (2) 4-9 34.
KAPAUN MOUNT CARMEL: M. Martin 4 0-0 10, J. Martin 1 0-0 2, Young 3 0-0 7, Cook 3 6-6 12, Hullings 2 0-0 4, Baxter 1 2-4 4, Lickteig 1 2-2 4, Akao 0 2-2 2. Totals 14 (3) 12-14 45.