Best of times: Coming off an injury, Mount Carmel’s Grant Best doesn’t take anything for granted. ‘I felt like myself.’

This was more like it for Mount Carmel’s Grant Best.

The sophomore guard’s natural quickness, a huge staple of his game, had been compromised by a lingering hamstring injury he suffered during the football season.

“I have been able to play most games through the injury,” Best said. “But (Tuesday night) was really the first time where I felt like myself. I was trying to get into the flow.

“My team just set me up. They know how to find me when I am open.”

Best was open for business and didn’t miss a shot Tuesday, scoring nine points for the Caravan in a 64-52 victory over De La Salle in a Catholic League crossover in Chicago.

The 6-foot-2 Best went 3-for-3 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the line as Mount Carmel (17-1, 5-0) won its 14th consecutive game.

Senior guard DeAndre Craig scored 23 points and junior forward Lee Marks added 15 for the Caravan.

Senior forward Evan Jackson and junior guard Richard Lindsey scored 13 points apiece for the Meteors (11-7, 3-3).

Best scored five quick points off the bench as the Caravan capitalized on an 18-2 spurt in the second quarter.

“I feel like I come off the bench for the starters and just keep it going,” Best said. “My game is pretty scrappy and I like to shoot it at times.”

Best combines nice size with some secondary playmaking instincts. His primary role is being an off-the-ball shooter.

“The defenders see that I can shoot and they come out on me,” he said. “I just make a pump-fake and drive or get to the free-throw line.”

To play for Mount Carmel, Best makes a nearly 80-mile commute from St. John, Indiana.

“One of our family friends came here and I shadowed him,” Best said. “I made the effort to come out here.

“I like Illinois basketball. It’s faster paced than Indiana, which is a lot more about running sets.”

Jackson, a 6-7 wing, added eight rebounds for De La Salle.

Along with Lindsey, Jackson sparked a big rally in the second half, helping the Meteors cut a 15-point deficit down to three early in the fourth quarter.

Jackson showed the ability to use his size to get to the basket and a sweet touch on his midrange jumper.

“I really feel like I could play or guard all the positions on the floor,” he said. “My goal for every single game is to get a double-double in points and rebounds.

Jackson played his first two years at St. Rita under Gary DeCesare, a former college assistant at DePaul who’s in his first year at De La Salle.

“When I came here last year, they welcomed me with open arms,” Jackson said. “I joined the team that was already here.

“We didn’t make the impact we wanted (Tuesday night), but I am very excited with the continuation of the season.”

If Best brought flair and a scoring burst off the bench, senior forward Richard Zoller was the connective thread of the Caravan’s two-way play.

Zoller scored only two points but added five rebounds, two assists and a steal. He’s an unselfish and heady player who brings intangibles, crucial to a team’s success.

“We have a lot of great scorers on our team and I am just a glue guy who plays hard ,” Zoller said. “I just try to play hard and do my role to the best of my ability.”

Best and Zoller are mirror images — role players who bring a niche and winning value.

“I earned my role when I first came here,” Best said. “And now my teammates really helped pick me up when I was down.”

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.