Over one year ago, Carmel boys basketball started the 2023-24 campaign with a pitiful 2-6 record. Those losses included two three point nail-biters, as well as blowouts in the 17-point, 23-point, and 25-point variety. While the team crawled their way back to a winning record by the end of the season, another rough start seemed to be a lingering fear for the Hounds, entering the 2024-25 season. Shockingly, the opposite was true. The high-hoped Hounds began the new year with a script-flipping 6-1 start, winning by an average of over 21 points, while containing every opponent to 50 points or less. On December 27th, Carmel opened a six-game home stand with a decisive victory against Lake Central. However, the remaining guests for the Hounds would not be as easily dismissed.

Just one day after the Hounds extended their win streak to three, courtesy of Lake Central, the undefeated Evansville Reitz Panthers made their way to the Eric Clarke Activity Center, in Carmel High School, for a Saturday matchup against Carmel. The late morning start proved to be too early for Coach Osborn’s squad, as Carmel was outscored 19-5 in the first quarter. The early deficit was too steep to overcome, and Carmel fell to Evansville Reitz by a score of 55-44, resulting in Carmel’s first home loss of the season. After a narrow loss to Cathedral, and an unremarkable defeat by the hands Westfield, the 6-4 record of the Hounds now stands as a shell of the impressive, unexpected start of the season.

Game five of the homestand is slated for Friday night, when the Marion Giants meet the Hounds for a duel of 6-4 squads. Like Carmel, Marion also started the season 6-1, before dropping three consecutive games. Marion’s defense has proven to be a major weakness, as the Giants have given up over 69 points per game through their first ten contests. The high-powered offense of the Hounds has shown to be capable of putting up major numbers, and must continue to do so in order to compete with the visiting Giants, and snap their three-game skid.