MIAA Basketball Championship Games are set
Defending champ Mount Carmel will face St. Frances in the A Conference title game; St. Paul's and Severn advance in the B; Park and Cristo Rey will meet in the C
The finalists for MIAA Basketball Championship Sunday are set, after Thursday's semifinal rounds in all three conferences.
The A Conference final, which will cap a thrilling championship triple-header at UMBC's CEI Arena, when defending champion Our Lady of Mount Carmel faces fellow powerhouse St. Frances in a contest scheduled to tip-off at 5:00 p.m.
St. Frances had to survive another intense edition of its storied rivalry with Mount St. Joseph, but this one went down a little easier than past battles, thanks in part to a career high 42-point perofrmance by Panther star Carter Fisk, which helped produce a 83-62 victory.
Thanks to several nice runs by St. Frances, St. Joe never really challenged as the Gaels found themselves trailing by 22 points entering the final quarter. Any hopes of a comeback were thwarted by Fisk, who scored the first six points of the fourth quarter. Terence Jones III also had a big night for St. Frances, scoring 19 points.
Saxton Simley, Chauncey Word and Aaron Early Jr. combined for 40 points to lead St. Joe, which now will seek to regroup prior to next weekend's BCL Tournament.
Mount Carmel earned its way back to the championship game with a 63-49 victory over Glenelg Country. After a tight first half, the Cougars gradually pulled away in the second half. Balanced scoring was the theme for Mount Carmel, as Tristen Wilson scored a team-high 14 points, while Junior Mancho, Ralfs Rudusans and Samartine Hill scored 11 points each.
In the B Conference, both division winners advanced to the final, as two-time defending champion Severn topped Concordia Prep, 70-58, and St. Paul's edged Archbishop Curley, 52-49. The Admirals and Crusaders will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday at UMBC. Severn scored a 70-57 victory in the lone meeting between the teams this season.
Sunday's triple-header will begin at 1:00 p.m. at UMBC with a matchup between Park and Cristo Rey. Park reached the final by going on the road and rolling to a 16-point win, 62-46, over top-seeded Saints Peter & Paul. SSPP had won the last two Conference titles. Cristo Rey, the second seed, advanced to the championship game with an 82-67 win over Beth Tfiloh.
MIAA Basketball Championship Games
Sunday, February 22 at UMBC's CEI Arena
C Conference
Cristo Rey vs. Park School, 1:00 p.m.
B Confernce
Severn vs. St. Paul's, 3:00 p.m.
A Conference
Our Lady of Mount Carmel vs. St. Frances, 5:00 p.m.