Grant Best’s role for Mount Carmel has changed dramatically this season.
Best was the ultimate glue guy for the Class 3A runners-up as a junior last winter. Now, the senior guard is one of the Caravan’s go-to scorers and a first team all-Catholic League selection.
Make no mistake about it, though. The Air Force recruit still loves to do the dirty work.
“Lately, it’s definitely been harder to do the little things, but I’m still trying to do them for my team,” Best said. “They’re huge and I know we need them. If I have to do something else like score more, I’m willing to do whatever we need.”
Best was the gritty leader Mount Carmel needed Wednesday night when things got tough down the stretch.
He finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and made several big defensive plays as the Caravan held on for a 58-49 win over De La Salle in a Class 3A Glenbard South Sectional semifinal in Glen Ellyn.
Noah Mister added 15 points for second-seeded Mount Carmel (28-5). Dylan Fulbright came off the bench to score eight points, while Keith Jenkins contributed seven points and five rebounds and Claude Mpouma chipped in six points and six rebounds.
The Meteors opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to pull within 40-36. Mount Carmel appeared to be rattled, struggling with De La Salle’s press defense.
But Best calmly took control for the Caravan, who will take on top-seeded St. Laurence (29-5) at 7 p.m. Friday in the sectional championship game. He made sure the ball was in his hands and knocked down 8 of 10 shots from the free-throw line in the final 5:30.
It’s exactly what Mount Carmel coach Phil Segroves would expect from his leader.
“We’ve asked him to score a little bit more this year than the last couple years, but he’s always been that type of gritty player,” Segroves said. “He’s going to dive on the floor, he’s going to get rebounds, he wants the ball in his hands and he’s not afraid to take big shots.”
Charles Barnes led third-seeded De La Salle (16-18) with 17 points, while Morgan Travis scored 12 points and Roosevelt Thomas added eight.
Cameron Thomas, Mount Carmel’s leading scorer, played sparingly in the first half and finished with four points. He sat out the entire second half.
“He’s been dealing with an Achilles issue since mid-December,” Segroves said. “He really couldn’t run. We’re going to get him some treatment the next couple days and hopefully he can be ready to go on Friday.”
With Thomas out, Fulbright and Kyle Chevalier proved big minutes off the bench.
“I’m really proud of Kyle and Dylan,” Segroves said.
Best and Mister, meanwhile, carried the Caravan home. Mister has seen Best turn into a player that can take over games.
“Grant’s handled it great,” Mister said. “He’s in a bigger role. He’s got to score more. He’s still got to get more rebounds and he’s still got to be that glue guy.
“He was a star in his role before, now he’s just a star. He’s a straight star. He’s not even a role player.”
Best, meanwhile, is looking forward to playing for Air Force after high school.
“I didn’t think about it when I was younger, but my sophomore year I started getting interested in it,” Best said. “I was interested in Army and Navy, and I never thought Air Force would be an option for me since it was out in Colorado, but I’m very glad it came up.”
And the military academy life? Best believes he’s a perfect fit.
“I definitely think I’m cut out for that,” he said. “I’m tough as nails, so I’m excited for that basic training in the summer. I’m ready for it.”
