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Like an outstanding distance runner who waits for the right moment to deliver a closing kick, surging Towson Catholic erased a narrow fourth quarter deficit and went on a 16-3 closing run to knock off visiting Cardinal Gibbons, 53-43, to claim its sixth consecutive win.

Larry Bastfield had a dozen points to lead three Owls in double figures, but it was late surge from senior Brandon Green that put TC over the top.  Entering the closing moments with just six points, Greene netted two hoops, hit a foul shot, swatted away a pair of Gibbons' shots and drew a charge while his team emerged from a 40-40 tie to claim a 51-40 lead.

According to Towson Catholic head coach Josh Pratt everything runs through Greene.

"On defense, Brandon is such a presence for us.  He's 6-6, but he plays like he's 6-8 or 6-9.  On offense we have to get him touches even, even when teams focus on him," said Pratt.  "Brandon is such a key for us.  He does so many intangible things that help us go."

After a low scoring first half, both clubs picked up the scoring in the third quarter.

Devon Spencer, who finished with 11 points, nailed two three-pointers to help the Owls stretch out to a 34-25 lead.  However, Jamar Briscoe and Paul Kouvaris countered with some hot shooting, combining for 20 points in the quarter, and the Crusaders fought back within two, 37-35, at the end of three quarters.

In the first half, Cardinal Gibbons erased an early 13-7 deficit with nine consecutive points, spanning the final moments of the first quarter and the early portion of the second quarter, as Briscoe netted five points during the stretch.  Towson Catholic, however, stiffened its defense and went on to score the final 12 points of the half, turning a 16-13 deficit into a 22-16 lead.

Vinnie Breckenridge was the other hot hand for Towson Catholic, as he finished with 10 points.  Briscoe scored 16 to lead Gibbons, followed by 14 from Kouvaris.   However, the two combined for just one point in the decisive final period.

The Owls are now 9-7 overall and they remain the only unbeaten team (4-0) in the Baltimore Catholic League.  In addition, they are now 5-1 in the MIAA A Conference.

Towson Catholic 53, Cardinal Gibbons 43
CG  10   6  19    8 - 43
TC   13   9  15  16 - 53

Cardinal Gibbons: Briscoe 16, Kouvaris 14, Zepp 6, Cormier 2, Kuntz 2, Wright 3. Totals: 43.
Towson Catholic: Bastfield 12, Spencer 11, Breckenridge 10, Bruce 4, Greene 11, Sizer 5. Totals 53.
Half: Towson Catholic, 22-16.