John Carroll's Isaiah Philmore powers his way to the basket.
by Joe DiBlasi See video highlights belowLoyola, which has made an art form of climbing back from large deficits to steal narrow victories this season, could not muster similar magic last night, as John Carroll combined a dominating start with strong closing kick, especially on defense, to eliminate the visiting Dons from the MIAA playoffs, 60-44, in a quarterfinal contest last night in Bel Air.
The two teams had just met on the same court, on Sunday afternoon, and the Patriots staved off a late Loyola rally to claim a narrow win in that one, which gave them the home court for last night's rematch and coach Tony Martin's squad took full advantage early.
John Carroll, with a supportive home crowd at its back, disrupted Loyola's deliberate offensive approach with swarming defense, as it built a 14-point lead heading into the half. That lead grew to as much as 17 in the third quarter, before Loyola finally found its stride.
The Dons made stunning turn-around and eventually cut the Patriot lead to five, with 3:45 left in regulation. But, with momentum seemingly in hand, Loyola finally hit a wall, as John Carroll gathered itself and closed out the game with efficient offensive excution and flawless free throw shooting.
"We try to use all of our players," said Martin, who received scoring from 11 different players. "It's not always easy to do, but we usually get solid contributions from all of our guys."
The Patriots were led by Isaiah Philmore, who crammed nine of his team high 14 points into the third quarter, when Loyola was blitzing back.
"We tried to spread the floor, and be patient with the ball," said the 6-7 junior. "Even though they made a great comeback, we didn't give in."
The Dons got nine in the third stanza from senior James Davenport, who led all scorers with 18 points. The Patriots held high-scoring Matt Rum to only two field goals on the night. The sharpshooting junior finished the night with eight points.
The fact that John Carroll played so many players may prove to be a blessing, as they face hugh challenge tonight, as they meet top-ranked Mount St. Joseph, in the nightcap of a MIAA A Conference semifinal double-header at Towson University. The Gaels and Patriots are scheduled to tip at 7:30 pm, following the St. Frances/Towson Catholic game at 5:30 pm.
"It will be a tall task going against St. Joe, but we're looking forward to the challenge," said Martin.
Loyola's season will continue, as the Dons will now focus on the Baltimore Catholic Tournament. The Dons will meet Cardinal Gibbons, which was also knocked out of the MIAA playoffs last night, on March 3 at Loyola College, at 8:45 pm, in final game of the first round of action.
The winners of tonight's MIAA semifinals will square off in the MIAA A Confernce championship game on Sunday, at 5:30 pm. That contest will also be at Towson University. It will be preceeded by the C and B championship games, beginning at 1:00 pm.
John Carrol 60, Loyola 44
L 8 10 17 9 44
JC 16 16 11 17 60
Loyola: Rum 8, Davenport 18, Schittino 5, Kirby 4, Stanwick 4, Heacock 5
John Carroll: Philmore 14, Jones 7, W. Smith 6, McMillan 7, Jordan 10, Maczko 5, Evans 2, Brooks 2, Gaspic 3, Kusmieruk 2, McQuaid 2.
Half: John Carroll, 32-18.