MIAA Basketball is approaching the stretch run

by Nelson Coffin

Archbishop Spalding (14-11, 7-4 A Conference Red) nailed all 10 of its foul shots in the fourth quarter to hold off St. Vincent Pallotti, 73-63, early in the week. Moe Lonergan with (20 points), Nash Avery (19), Braxton Bogard (13) and TJ Moultrie (10) topped the Cavaliers’ scoring parade.

Spalding also authored a 69-52 victory over McDonogh behind Braxton Bogard (18) Moe Lonergan (12) and Colt Busse (11).

Mount St. Joseph toughed out a 69-54 triumph over Loyola Blakefield after clinging to a precarious 31-29 halftime advantage. Zikom Etoule and Saxton Simley each scored 15 points for the Gaels while Kaleb Haysbert’s 17 points led the Dons.

St. Joe (22-5, 8-2 A Black) then defeated Boys’ Latin, 66-40, with BJ Ranson (18), Aaron Early Jr. (14) and Simley (13) going to the hoop. 

Calvert Hall was edged, 64-61, by Glenelg Country on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from just inside the mid-court line, despite the heroics of Cardinal standouts Cameron Wood (26 points) and Ellis Johnson (20). Calvert Hall (12-16, 3-9 A Black) subsequently broke a nine-game losing streak with a 53-43 victory over archrival Loyola (6-16, 3-9 A Red) with Wood (16), Johnson (12) and Adam Solomon (11) pouring in the points. Haysbert (13) and Ayo Olofintila (11) were the biggest contributors for the Dons.

St. Mary’s (9-20, 2-11 A Red) fell to McDonogh, 55-48, with Ezra Rich (18) and Gavin Johnson (10) providing most of the Saints’ scoring.

St. Frances (24-5, 10-1 A Black) ran its winning streak to six in a row with a 73-59 verdict over John Carroll (18-6, 8-3 A Black), fueled by a withering 18-5 run to open the final period. Terence Jones (22), Chance McCoy (16), Carter Fisk (14) and Anthony Smith (10) led the way for the Cougars. Andrew Clark (22) and Aidan Able (14) paced the Patriots, who recovered to produce a 76-48 victory over St. Mary’s behind Able (16), Parris Lee (15) and Charlie Rheinhart (12). Noah Cerny (17) and Gavin Johnson (16) topped the Saints.

There were mixed results for A Conference squads in Florida where St. Frances prevailed, 59-47, over Victory Rock Prep (Fla.) with Fisk and Jones III each scoring 23 points. Our Lady of Mount Carmel (20-6, 11-0 A Black) however, fell to host IMG Academy, 65-59, squandering fine efforts from Tristen Wilson (19) and Samartine Hill (13).

Both MIAA outfits dropped their final games in the Sunshine State where the Panthers were knocked off by IMG and the Cougars were edged by Victory Rock, 64-58. Jones III and Anthony Smith combined for 36 points in defeat for St. Frances while Gage Howard (14), Antwan Williams (12) and Wilson (10) were Mt. Carmel’s big shots.

In a showdown between division leaders, St. Paul’s (10-6, 5-2 Red) downed Concordia Prep, 70-66, to hand the Saints their first B Conference loss of the season. The Crusaders were coming off a narrow 54-52 setback to A Conference member Boys’ Latin (7-11, 4-6 A Red) while Concordia Prep (10-10, 6-1 Black) was riding high after a 20-point win over Annapolis Area Christian School (5-11, 2-5 Red).

The Saints are now tied atop the Black Division with Severn (12-7, 7-1  Black), which handled Archbishop Curley, 85-30, to keep abreast of Concordia Prep in a battle for top postseason seeding. St. Paul’s boasts a two-game lead over Friends (6-8, 3-4), which subdued Indian Creek, 69-64, to keep pace in the Red Division race.