Former Ohio State forward Kaleb Wesson (34) led Carmen’s Crew with 16 points and five rebounds versus Team Overtime July 26 in the first round of The Basketball Tournament. Credit: Amal Saeed | Lantern Photo File
Carmen’s Crew cruised by Team Overtime with an impressive 80-68 win Wednesday night at the University of Dayton Arena after a dominating performance in the paint and on defense, earning it a spot in the second round of The Basketball Tournament.
After gaining its first lead with 5:29 left in the first quarter, Carmen’s Crew never trailed for the rest of the game.
Carmen’s Crew’s post-play gave it an early advantage, and the Buckeyes alumni led 17-11 at the end of the first quarter. Fourteen of Carmen’s Crew’s 17 first-quarter points came from the paint, which were supplemented with a Malik Dime free throw and a Javon Bess jumper.
“We have guys that can post up from all different positions,” head coach Jared Sullinger said. “So, when you constantly pound the paint the way we did and get those paint touches, it’s kind of hard for you to defend us.”
Carmen’s Crew’s post-dominance continued for the rest of the game. It finished with 44 points in the paint and 43 rebounds, while Team Overtime notched 14 paint points and 29 boards.
Sullinger credited the paint success to his frontcourt’s imposing stature along with their versatility to play multiple positions. He said Kaleb Wesson is just one of their many players who can change the game because of his all-around skillset.
“He’s got good enough feet to guard outside on the perimeter, he’s smart enough to guide people where they need to be, and then that allows people like Andre Wesson, who can play three and four, to slide down to three, and now we’re even bigger,” Sullinger said.
Kaleb Wesson, Andre Wesson’s brother, led Carmen’s Crew with 16 points while grabbing five rebounds. Kyle Young and Trevor Thompson also contributed in the post, sharing the team lead of eight rebounds.
Despite previously trailing by double digits, Team Overtime got back into the game with an 11-6 run in the final 2:45 of the first half, cutting the halftime deficit to 38-32.
Carmen’s Crew responded with a 9-0 run of its own to start the third quarter. Andre Wesson said starting the second half strong was a major point of emphasis in the locker room.
“Something that we definitely talked about coming out of halftime was really trying to really jump on them in that third quarter, trying to make a statement and kind of just build,” Andre Wesson said.
Carmen’s Crew remained on top throughout the second half, earning a 24-point lead with just over a minute into the fourth quarter.
Kaleb Wesson said the team’s chemistry and defensive schemes played an important role in maintaining the lead.
“That relationship that we have on and off the court, I feel like everybody can talk to each other and everybody kind of knows what our strength is on defense,” Kaleb Wesson said.
With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Carmen’s Crew led 72-57, setting the Elam Ending target score at 80 points.
Andre Wesson ended the game with a successful free throw, giving Carmen’s Crew its fifth first-round tournament victory and a ticket to the Dayton Regional second round against India Rising Friday.
Sullinger said he was impressed with his team but saw untapped potential.
“Honestly, we didn’t really shoot the ball the greatest and we still won by a good amount,” Sullinger said. “So, once we started knocking down those open shots, and we got Kaleb Wesson going down there and creating for us, this is going to be a tough team to beat.”
