What a difference a week can make. And what a difference Anthony Smith can make.
For the St. Frances boys basketball team, the answer was a lot.
The No. 1 Panthers got a measure of revenge against rival and No. 2 Mount Carmel in Wednesday’s 55th Baltimore Catholic League championship game, enjoying a balanced performance in pulling away for a 67-55 win at Loyola Maryland’s Reitz Arena.
Smith, a senior guard, contributed 17 points, six rebounds and two assists while playing his typical lockdown defense to be named the tournament’s John M. Plevyak Most Valuable Player.
Joining him on the All-BCL Tournament team were teammates TJ Jones and Carter Fisk, Mount Carmel’s Tristen Wilson and Junior Mancho, Spalding’s Nash Avery and Mount Saint Joseph’s BJ Ranson.
On Feb. 24, Mount Carmel edged the Panthers, 59-57, for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference title with Smith out serving a one-game suspension after his ejection in the semifinal game.
On Wednesday, he got the Panthers off to a fast start with nine first-quarter points and finished making 5-of-8 3-point attempts. It’s the 12th BCL Tournament title for the Panthers, who also won the regular-season crown and finish with a 36-7 record. Jones and Fisk each finished with 19 points in the win.
“The MIAA A game crushed me a lot — I really wanted to win that one,” Smith said. “But luckily, [we still had the BCL Tournament] coming up, so I made sure I did what I was supposed to do and we got the ‘ship.”
The Cougars, who finish with a 30-11 record, were looking to accomplish a first in the area’s private school leagues — sweeping both the MIAA A and BCL titles in two consecutive years.
The Panthers, who made 14 of 30 3-point attempts, made sure that they fell one win short with a lights-out performance.
They knocked down five 3s in taking a 21-13 lead after one quarter. After the Cougars settled in and the game got close, the Panthers saved a knockout punch at the end.
Show Caption1 of 7St. Frances’ Terence Jones III is defended by Mount Carmel’s Tristen Wilson in the first half of the BCL championship game at Loyola’s Reitz Arena. St. Frances wins 67-55. (Kim Hairston/staff)
Expand
After Mount Carmel guard Samartine Hill scored a driving layup to make it 56-53 with 2:52 to play, the Panthers dominated the rest of the game behind Fisk and determined defense.
Jones made two free throws to push the lead to 58-53 with 2:32 to play before Fisk drilled a 3 at the top of the key with just under a minute left to make it 61-53.
“It felt great knowing I just sealed the deal for the BCL championship,” Fisk said. “It was a team effort. We had three guys in the double digits — it was just a great game.”
Related Articles
-
City boys basketball beats rival Poly, 68-49, to win regional title -
South River boys basketball looked within to beat Old Mill, repeat as regional champions -
South River defeats Old Mill boys basketball | PHOTOS -
Like father, like son: Corey Dixon follows in Juan Dixon’s basketball footsteps -
Anne Arundel County high school athletes of the week (Feb. 23-March 3)
The Cougars, who got 11 points each from Wilson and Mancho, only made one basket after Hill’s points.
Mount Carmel coach Tony Martin thought that a basket or two late would have put his team over the top, but he was fast to credit the Panthers for their work down the stretch.
“Defensive breakdowns, missed free throws [the Cougars went 9 of 20] — those things come back to haunt you late in the game. Our kids are great, I’m real proud of them,” he said.
With a lot of new players entering the fold, the Panthers quickly jelled to make for a special season. Coach Nick Myles was pleased with how his group responded after the setback in the MIAA A final — and happy Smith was back to help.
“It’s two great teams, two great games — having Anthony Smith back really helped us tonight,” he said. “We were focused and locked in. Last week didn’t go our way, so we didn’t want to have that same feeling.”
He added: “It’s a special group. They loved each other and the way they shared the ball was really really special. I’m just happy for the group. I told them we had to finish up with a championship.”
MC: 13-15-17-10 — 55
SF: 21-14-16-16 — 67
MC: T. Wilson 11, Howard 9, Rudusans 2, Mancho 11, Hill 6, Williams 7, Alexander 9
SF: Fisk 19, Jones III 19, Smith 17, McCoy 2, Spears 3, McMahon 7
Have a news tip? Contact Glenn Graham at ggraham@baltsun.com, 410-332-6636 and x.com/GlennGrahamSun.
