By Mike Buchanan
 

They were playing a game on the other side of town, too.

With most of the attention focused on the showdown between St. Frances (No. 1 in the DigitalSports Top 20 Poll) and Seton Keough (No. 2), other games received lesser attention on Monday, and rightfully so.

The Gators pulled off a 62-40 win over the Panthers, almost assuring themselves of the top ranking next week as the league’s only remaining undefeated team.

But another key IAAM A-Conference game between two ranked teams was taking place on Monday as well, as No. 11 Mercy visited No. 10 Archbishop Spalding.

Senior point-guard Khadija Mitchell scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Magic to a big victory, as Mercy won by nine, 46-37.

Most league and area coaches would agree that Seton Keough (6-0) and St. Frances (6-1) are a two-team combo at the top of the A-Conference, each leading its respective division. Both have defeated every other league team on the schedule.

The middle tier of teams arguably includes No. 9 McDonogh (6-2), No. 10 Spalding (now 5-3), No. 11 Mercy (now 7-1) and No. 19 Towson Catholic (4-3). You’d have to include St. Paul’s School for Girls in the grouping, as well. Although not ranked and only sporting a 2-4 league mark, the Gators are a dangerous group. Coach Jim Stromberg’s team has possibly the league’s top defensive player with 6’3” Bailey Webster in the middle, and SPSG has lost to St. Frances by just 11 points and to Mercy by just three.

On paper, the Mercy/Spalding game stacked up to be a very competitive battle. Both teams are guard oriented, fast and play good defense. Both had given the top two a battle before falling short in the final half. Mercy had lost to Seton Keough by 16 and Spalding had lost to St. Frances by 16. Spalding also had a lead over McDonogh for the entire game before losing that lead in the final three minutes.

And the game did turn out to be a hard-fought, competitive battle, as Mercy took a 20-15 lead into the break and added four points to the lead in the final half, holding off any potential Spalding threat to win by nine. In a battle of two of the league’s best point guards, Mitchell (20 points) and the faster than fast Janay Brinkley (18 points) basically battled to a draw, but Mitchell’s team won the all-important battle of the scoreboard at game’s end.

Sophomore guard Ava Trageser added eight points for Mercy, and Carissa Shropshire and Maggie Marion scored six apiece. The Magic helped its cause immensely by going 20-26 from the free throw line.

For Spalding, freshman forward Shaquilla Curtis scored nine and fellow frosh Sherae Swinson added seven.

Mercy faces another tough challenge today, Wednesday, hosting McDonogh. A Magic win would clearly put them at the top of that middle tier of teams. They then finish out the week at Notre Dame Prep on Friday.

The Cavaliers get a couple rest and preparation days and then host Towson Catholic on Saturday at 2:45 pm in yet another meeting of ranked teams.

Mercy 46, Spalding 37
M – Mitchell 20, McKay 4, Matthews 1, Shropshire 6, Zikorus 1, Marion 6, Trageser 8. Totals: 12 20-26 46.
S – Nairn 2, Swinson 7, Curtis 9, Clinton 1, Brinkley 18. Totals: 14 9-16 37.
Half: M, 20-15.