- Indiana
Carson Barrett leads Lafayette Central Catholic past Harrison in semifinals of Franciscan Health Hoops Classic
LAFAYETTE — Junior guard Carson Barrett put on a passing clinic as Central Catholic topped Harrison, 67-53 in the semifinals of the Franciscan Health Hoops Classic on Friday at Lafayette Jeff.
Barrett put on a show, not only with his playmaking ability, but with his smooth maneuvers around the basket and his defense.
Saddled with two fouls early in the second quarter, he sat out the rest of the period. The Knights were able to take a 32-24 lead into the break.
“I just want to thank the bench for the second quarter,” Carson Barrett said. “The bench played well, they gave us a (eight-point) lead going into half. That was huge for us.”
The game remained close as Central led 43-39 going into the final quarter.
That’s when the coach’s son decided to take over, dropping a game-high 18 points on 9-for-13 shooting, to go with four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
“It’s really easy for us, because he does it all,” starting sophomore point guard Brenner Oliver said. “He’s pretty much our 1,2,3,4,5. When he is on the court we are really deadly.”
Barrett dished to junior Nate Webb on the right wing, who drained the trey.
“We’re a bunch of shooters, so we are able to get open and (Carson) draws a lot of attention when he drives,” Oliver said.
Two defensive possessions later, 6-foot-5 guard, 190-pound Barrett took a charge under the basket, despite having four fouls.
The Knights (3-0) went up 48-39 with 6:13 left as Barrett wrapped a pass from the right wing around a defender to senior David Schwartz at the basket. Barrett made a similar pass from the same spot on the floor on the ensuing possession to sophomore A.J. Bordenet for a lay-in.
The next possession was the highlight of the night. Barrett, in one motion, collected an offensive board and made a no-look tip over his head to the middle of the paint that bounced to Bordenet.
“I think he’s got eyes in the back of his head at times,” Central coach David Barrett said. “He knows where guys are at. He does that a lot. He surveys the floor before he goes and gets it. He has a knack for it.”
He had a steal that resulted in a dunk, one more basket and another assist to keep his squad in cruise control the final two minutes.
“I like playing the game the right way,” Carson Barrett said. “Finding the open guy and not taking dumb shots. I’d rather hit the guy in the open corner or hit the open layup. That’s just the way I play.”
