Drew Pountain
Section618.com

PARIS – Mt. Carmel, one of two teams sharing the number one ranking in class 2A in Illinois, won a close game on Friday without senior standout Kaleb Applebey, thanks to a dominant fourth quarter to win at Paris 42-31. Applebey missed his second straight game due to back problems following a tumble in Tuesday night’s win over Robinson. Without the 6’8 senior, the Aces struggled to put up points in a loss to 3A honorable mention Centralia on Wednesday.

Without Applebey again, the Aces’ offense got off to a sluggish start for the second game in a row. Trailing 30-28 after three quarters, the Aces held Paris without a single field goal in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Tigers 14-1 in the final frame. The Tigers only point came on a free throw.

“Our guys are really starting to buy into that end of the floor,” said Mt. Carmel head coach Tyler Buss.

Offensively, it was the Beau Stipp show, with the senior guard scoring 21 points for the second straight game. Stipp not only led all scorers, but also accomplished a major milestone in his basketball career. The senior guard scored his 1,000th career point on a free throw in the second quarter.

“He’s got the whole package,” said Buss.

The Aces led 8-7 after one, but by the end of the second frame the Aces trailed the Tigers 22-19 after a step back, fade away three-pointer by Mason Hutchings. The third quarter was the closest out of the four with four lead changes and two ties. That was before the Aces defense took over.

On Tuesday, the Associated Press revealed the Aces were one of the two teams to share the number one ranking in 2A. The roller coaster of a week will continue into Saturday as Mt Carmel (6-2) will take on the Carmi-White County Bulldogs on the road.

Paris (3-6) will have a couple days off until the Tigers travel to Robinson Tuesday to battle against the Maroons.