Cameron Thomas fights off foul trouble to get Mount Carmel past St. Laurence for sectional title. ‘Had to be smart.'

Chicago Tribune

08-03-2025

What's done is done or so the saying goes, so as he walked away from the situation, Mount Carmel's Cameron Thomas realized that he had no margin for error the rest of the game.
The 6-foot-3 senior guard/forward picked up his fourth foul at the end of the third quarter.
'I just knew I couldn't be timid, and I had to fight back and play as aggressively as I normally do,' he said. 'I didn't agree with the fourth foul, and I told the referees my hands were straight up.
'I wasn't going to change how I played, but I knew I had to be smart.'
Thomas played it smart Friday night, making two crucial baskets in the fourth quarter to lift the Caravan to a 54-51 win over St. Laurence in the Class 3A Glenbard South Sectional championship game in Glen Ellyn.
The 6-foot-3 Thomas finished with 15 points for Mount Carmel (29-5), which will play at 6 p.m. Monday against St. Patrick (27-7) in the Illinois-Chicago Supersectional at Credit Union 1 Arena.
Senior guard Grant Best added 16 points and six rebounds and junior point guard Noah Mister scored 15 points for the Caravan, who get a rematch of last winter's supersectional.
Senior guard EJ Mosley tallied 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists for St. Laurence (29-6). Jacob Rice added 12 points and seven rebounds. Zerrick Johnson contributed 11 points.
Thomas, who plays on the wing, also recorded six rebounds, three assists and a steal. He scored the Caravan's final two baskets in his prototypical manner of taking the ball hard to the hoop.
'He's been through a lot this whole year,' Mount Carmel coach Phil Segroves said of Thomas. 'He's dealt with some injuries that we haven't really talked about.
'He told me (Friday) when we got out of the chapel that we were going to win. I felt better because of that. I was really proud of the way he came in the fourth quarter and played the way he did.'
Mister created the assist on Thomas' final basket for the 52-48 lead with 1:09 remaining.
'He's a senior and a great player with our season on the line like that,' Mister said. 'Even in pressure situations, he's not going to fold. We believe in him. He came in and made big plays.'
Two years ago as a sophomore, Thomas played on a team for Mount Carmel that lost in the sectional final against Simeon at Glenbard South.
But on this night, Thomas scored five big points during a 15-0 run from the end of the second quarter to the start of the third that helped erase the Vikings' 10-point lead.
'We just knew we had to slow down,' Thomas said. 'In an environment like this, you can't be flustered. You can't be nervous. We understood our role and what we're good at.
'Sometimes, we do get sped up, but we always know how to adjust.'
A four-year starter, Thomas averaged 14 points last season for the Caravan, who ended up losing 49-41 to DePaul Prep in the 3A state championship game.
That memory still burns, creating just the right balance of fortitude and redemption. On the 40th anniversary of the Mount Carmel's only basketball state title, Thomas understands the stakes.
'This is a special moment,' he said. 'I've always wanted to win a state championship in high school. We came up short last year, but we don't plan on doing that again.'
'What happened definitely put a chip on our shoulder. We're ready and we want to win.'
The moment also carries deep personal ramifications about his future. Thomas is uncommitted for college, with every game bringing a heightened spotlight to showcase his potential.
'Getting recruited for college is definitely on my mind,' Thomas said. 'I'm just not letting it impact me. I know it'll come. Right now, I know everybody has my back. They know to keep my trust.'