The high school basketball world found out about a very talented freshman Wednesday night in Maywood.
Mt. Carmel’s 5-foot-11-inch guard Tracy Abrams put on quite a show in a 20-point performance while leading the irrepressible Caravan to its third-straight playoff upset, 74-57 over De La Salle, in the Class 4A sectionals at Proviso East.
That means 11th-seeded Mt. Carmel (21-9) will oppose top-seeded Young (25-5) in Friday’s sectional title game.
“Before, I was taking some type of crazy shot,” Abrams said. “Coach (Mike Flaherty) told me to wait. If you’re patient, things will go your way.”
Everything is certainly going the Caravan’s way. No team in 3A or 4A has beaten the likes of No. 16-ranked St. Ignatius, No. 3 Farragut and No. 10 De La Salle in the postseason.
“Coach (Flaherty) had us really focused on defense these last three games,” said senior guard D.J. Cooper who also scored 20 points. “At first, I don’t think anyone thought we could win these three games.
“All I can say is, Mt. Carmel basketball is back. After tonight, I think people are going to start believing in us.”
With Abrams penetrating the Meteor defense behind a dazzling array of moves and Cooper hitting from three-point range, the Caravan led 34-22 at halftime and 51-39 after three quarters.
Abrams scored 11 points in the fourth quarter in closing out De La Salle (24-4). Desmond Young contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds while Notre Dame-bound linebacker Steve Filer came away with six points and 11 rebounds.
De La Salle was led by Derek Needham’s 18 points along with 15 points and eight rebounds from 6-8 freshman Michael Shaw.
So, was this a coming-out party for Abrams?
“Nah,” he said, bowing his head. “I still have a lot to work on.”
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bsakamoto@tribune.com
