Defending champ Mount Carmel off to a quick start on the hardwood

by Nelson Coffin

Several teams have had impressive starts to the A Conference basketball season.

That said, Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s early résumé appears to top the list.

The defending conference champs have already logged 13 games, with a 62-58 setback to Washington Catholic Athletic Conference power DeMatha the only blemish on the schedule.

The Cougars have built a comfortable lead in the Black Division with a 6-0 mark, including solid decisions over current division runners-up St. Vincent Pallotti (8-2, 3-2 league) and Glenelg Country School (4-2,3-2).

Red Division co-leaders John Carroll (10-2, 4-0) and St. Frances (14-1, 4-0) are also off to good starts this winter.

The Patriots’ lone league loss was to a 96-93 thriller to Mount St. Joseph (9-2, 2-0) while a 62-49 defeat to Mount Carmel was the Panthers’ sole setback.

Both squads have fared well in holiday showcase events, considering that John Carroll toppled Episcopal (Va.), 82-60, in the semifinal round of the Bullis Holiday Classic in Potomac with senior Aiden Able scoring 30 points to eclipse the 2,000-point mark in the process.

St Frances edged Arlington (Tenn.), 68-65, in a 901 Tournament of Champions quarterfinal in Memphis behind junior guard Carter Fisk’s 32-point explosion.

Although St. Mary’s remains winless in divisional play, the Saints improved to 4-13 by beating CMIT South, 56-31, at the Mid-Atlantic Basketball Classic with Ezra Rich and Gavin Johnson combining for 25 points in the victory.

Archbishop Spalding (7-5, 1-2) suffered a 58-48 loss to Prince George’s Christian, despite getting 16 points from Nash Avery and 15 from Braxton Bogard.