by Joe DiBlasi
Mount Saint Joseph (13-4, 3-1, 3-2) raced to a 30-14 halftime lead in a Baltimore Catholic Leage/MIAA A Conference game at Loyola on Tuesday
night, and the Gaels hung on to beat Loyola Blakefield, 53-46, despite a 32 point
second half performance by coach Josh Davalli's feisty Dons.
Ryley Beaumont and Eric Atkins combined for 35 points for the
Gaels, and Atkins was 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter
when Loyola was forced to foul. Beaumont scored eight of his team leading 18
points in the first quarter, as he and Atkins scored all 14 of St. Joe's points
in the opening stanza.
"Loyola has some real strong guys inside," said Beaumont. "We had to match their intensity in order to win."
Six different players scored for coach Pat Clatchley in the second period,
as St. Joe held Blakefield (9-5, 2-2, 4-3) to just two field goals. The Gaels kept
high-scoring Matt Rum in check, holding the sharpshooter to nine points. It was the third straight game for the Dons against a top-ranked club. Loyola beat John Carroll last Friday at home, 53-48, before losing to Calvert Hall, 66-39, on Sunday.
Brandon Floyd led Loyola with 16 points, eight of which came in
the first quarter, and eight more in the fourth quarter. The sturdy senior forward made a strong inside move for a layup with a little over three minutes to go in the game that cut the St. Joe lead to seven, but Beaumont got a nifty feed from Stefan Pearson and made an easy layup to answer for the Gaels on their next trip down the floor.
"St. Joe is an excellent team," said Floyd. "We played well in the second half, but it was too little, too late."
Buckets by Rum, Perry Mahle and Floyd kept Loyola within striking distance, but the Gaels converted on 8-of-12 free throws down the line to seal the win.
Atkins hit all four of his attempts from the charity sripe with less than 41 seconds to go in regulation to secure the win.
"They made nice runs in the and fourth quarters, but we weathered the storm," said Atkins, who Clatchey calls "Mr. Smooth."
The Gaels will play Archbishop Spalding on Friday and McDonogh on Sunday, two games in which they will be favored to win.
The Dons will need to regroup on the road, as they travel to Hagerstown to face Saint Maria Goretti on Friday, Spalding on Sunday, and top-ranked St. Frances next Wednesday in East Baltimore.
Mount St. Joseph 53, Loyola 46
MSJ 14 16 9 14 -- 53
LOY 10 4 11 21 -- 46
MSJ: Hill 6, Atkins 17, Beaumont 18, Pearson 5, Morton 2, Windsor 3, Stephenson 2.
LOY: Rum 9, Floyd 16, Garvin 7, Fitzpatrick 8, Mahle 4, Hartman 2.
Half: Mount St. Joseph, 30-14.
