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Free throw shooting and four treys from Matt Miller lead the Gaels.
by Joe DiBlasi
Over the last several years it has been hard to find a bigger local high school basketball game than a tilt between perennial powers Mount St. Joseph and Towson Catholic. The two have met on their respective campuses, at Gilman, Archbishop Spalding, Villa Julie College, Towson University, Loyola College and, last night, at the College of Notre Dame, battling for local bragging rights, playoff positions and more than a few league titles.
As is often the case, first place was on the line last night as the Gaels and Owls took their traveling rivalry to Notre Dame's Charles Street campus, and, with a big fourth quarter push, the top-ranked Gaels claimed a 67-48 victory. The win, combined with St. Frances' loss to Cardinal Gibbons, moved St. Joe (15-1, 7-1 MIAA, 7-1 BCL) into sole possession of first place in both the A Conference and the Baltimore Catholic League.
Leading 42-38 entering the fourth quarter, the Mount posted a 25 point fourth quarter, which included an incredible 18 conversions from the free throw line. It was more than the Owls (9-9, 5-3 MIAA, BCL 4-2) could match.
"For the most part, we've shot very well from the line, and that's something that we emphasized both in the off-season and during the start of the season," said an obviously pleased Pat Clatchey, St. Joe's head coach. "It's a crucial area of the game, and we're doing a nice job overall from the foul line."
For the game, St. Joe converted 23-of-30 free throws.
The Gaels also got some excellent production from beyond the other line - the three-point line - where junior Matt Miller drained four jumpers. Two of Miller's treys were especially crucial, as they slowed Towson Catholic advances in both the second and fourth quarters. He finished with 12 points.
In a remarkably balanced scoring effort, three other Gaels reached double figures. Seniors Henry Sims and Chris Olsen led the way with 13 each, while Justin McCoy netted 10.
Clatchey was especially proud of Olsen, who is still recovering from a severe gash on his hand, and Miller.
"Olsen took three charges, a big-time blue collar effort tonight, and Miller was a tremendous spark off the bench with his outside shooting and overall smart play," said Clatchey.
"We're playing well," said Olsen. "Brandon Greene, Malcolm Sizer and Terrell Bruce are tough inside, and we had to battle them all night to score. We need to play harder at times because the league is tough again this year."
Miller complemented Towson Catholic, saying, "They are strong inside and have real good guards." On his shooting performance, he added, "Coach tells me to stroke it when I'm open, and the shots fell for me tonight."
Brandon Greene continued his steady play for the Owls, leading all scorers on the night with 15. Greene commented on the play of the Georgetown-bound Sims, saying, "He's a real force out there. I had to work around him all night. We gave them too many second chances, and we need to box out on the boards to be successful."
"We lost our composure at the end," said Towson Catholic coach Josh Pratt, whose team also lost at St. Frances on Sunday. "We've got to get better. We'll learn from these two losses and we'll bounce back. We know that we need to play our best basketball in February and it's not February yet."
At St. Frances last night, Cardinal Gibbons, perhaps the most unpredictable team in Baltimore, brought its A game and upset St. Frances, 69-66, behind 21 points from senior star Jamar Briscoe and sophomore guard Dylan Cormier, who netted 16.
Cormier, who earned a promotion to the varsity after a 44-point effort on the JV, has provided an offensive spark to a Crusaders squad which has struggled with injuries.
Like St. Joe, Gibbons (10-8, 4-5 MIAA, 3-4 BCL) got lots of production at the free throw line, where it went 17-of-28. St. Frances was solid at the line, going 6-of-8, but the 11 point scoring deficit there, was definitely a factor in the outcome.
The Crusaders also received 11 points each from Ryan Zepp and Maurice Byers.
St. Frances (15-7, 7-2 MIAA, 5-2 BCL) had four in double figures led by Sean Mosley and Wayne Sparrow with 17 each.
Mount St. Joseph 67, Towson Catholic 48
Mount St. Joseph: Atkins 8, McCoy 10, Hill 4, Olsen 12, Sims 13, Jones 4, Miller 12, Stephenson 4. Totals 22 23-30 67.
Towson Catholic: Bastfield 7, Breckenridge 4, Greene 15, Bruce 10, Spencer 7, Sizer 1, Thomas 3. Totals 48.
Half: Mount St. Joseph, 33-23.
Cardinal Gibbons 69, St. Frances 66
Cardinal Gibbons: Briscoe 21, Zepp 11, Wright 2, Byers 11, Koavovis 4, Comier 16, Lea 2, Green 2. Totals 23 17-29 69.
St. Frances: Mosely 17, Holmes 13, Sparrow 17, Williams 10, Oquendo 4, Hamilton 1, Jones 4. Totals 27 6-8 66.
Half: Cardinal Gibbons, 38-28.
Over the last several years it has been hard to find a bigger local high school basketball game than a tilt between perennial powers Mount St. Joseph and Towson Catholic. The two have met on their respective campuses, at Gilman, Archbishop Spalding, Villa Julie College, Towson University, Loyola College and, last night, at the College of Notre Dame, battling for local bragging rights, playoff positions and more than a few league titles.
As is often the case, first place was on the line last night as the Gaels and Owls took their traveling rivalry to Notre Dame's Charles Street campus, and, with a big fourth quarter push, the top-ranked Gaels claimed a 67-48 victory. The win, combined with St. Frances' loss to Cardinal Gibbons, moved St. Joe (15-1, 7-1 MIAA, 7-1 BCL) into sole possession of first place in both the A Conference and the Baltimore Catholic League.
Leading 42-38 entering the fourth quarter, the Mount posted a 25 point fourth quarter, which included an incredible 18 conversions from the free throw line. It was more than the Owls (9-9, 5-3 MIAA, BCL 4-2) could match.
"For the most part, we've shot very well from the line, and that's something that we emphasized both in the off-season and during the start of the season," said an obviously pleased Pat Clatchey, St. Joe's head coach. "It's a crucial area of the game, and we're doing a nice job overall from the foul line."
For the game, St. Joe converted 23-of-30 free throws.
The Gaels also got some excellent production from beyond the other line - the three-point line - where junior Matt Miller drained four jumpers. Two of Miller's treys were especially crucial, as they slowed Towson Catholic advances in both the second and fourth quarters. He finished with 12 points.
In a remarkably balanced scoring effort, three other Gaels reached double figures. Seniors Henry Sims and Chris Olsen led the way with 13 each, while Justin McCoy netted 10.
Clatchey was especially proud of Olsen, who is still recovering from a severe gash on his hand, and Miller.
"Olsen took three charges, a big-time blue collar effort tonight, and Miller was a tremendous spark off the bench with his outside shooting and overall smart play," said Clatchey.
"We're playing well," said Olsen. "Brandon Greene, Malcolm Sizer and Terrell Bruce are tough inside, and we had to battle them all night to score. We need to play harder at times because the league is tough again this year."
Miller complemented Towson Catholic, saying, "They are strong inside and have real good guards." On his shooting performance, he added, "Coach tells me to stroke it when I'm open, and the shots fell for me tonight."
Brandon Greene continued his steady play for the Owls, leading all scorers on the night with 15. Greene commented on the play of the Georgetown-bound Sims, saying, "He's a real force out there. I had to work around him all night. We gave them too many second chances, and we need to box out on the boards to be successful."
"We lost our composure at the end," said Towson Catholic coach Josh Pratt, whose team also lost at St. Frances on Sunday. "We've got to get better. We'll learn from these two losses and we'll bounce back. We know that we need to play our best basketball in February and it's not February yet."
At St. Frances last night, Cardinal Gibbons, perhaps the most unpredictable team in Baltimore, brought its A game and upset St. Frances, 69-66, behind 21 points from senior star Jamar Briscoe and sophomore guard Dylan Cormier, who netted 16.
Cormier, who earned a promotion to the varsity after a 44-point effort on the JV, has provided an offensive spark to a Crusaders squad which has struggled with injuries.
Like St. Joe, Gibbons (10-8, 4-5 MIAA, 3-4 BCL) got lots of production at the free throw line, where it went 17-of-28. St. Frances was solid at the line, going 6-of-8, but the 11 point scoring deficit there, was definitely a factor in the outcome.
The Crusaders also received 11 points each from Ryan Zepp and Maurice Byers.
St. Frances (15-7, 7-2 MIAA, 5-2 BCL) had four in double figures led by Sean Mosley and Wayne Sparrow with 17 each.
Mount St. Joseph 67, Towson Catholic 48
Mount St. Joseph: Atkins 8, McCoy 10, Hill 4, Olsen 12, Sims 13, Jones 4, Miller 12, Stephenson 4. Totals 22 23-30 67.
Towson Catholic: Bastfield 7, Breckenridge 4, Greene 15, Bruce 10, Spencer 7, Sizer 1, Thomas 3. Totals 48.
Half: Mount St. Joseph, 33-23.
Cardinal Gibbons 69, St. Frances 66
Cardinal Gibbons: Briscoe 21, Zepp 11, Wright 2, Byers 11, Koavovis 4, Comier 16, Lea 2, Green 2. Totals 23 17-29 69.
St. Frances: Mosely 17, Holmes 13, Sparrow 17, Williams 10, Oquendo 4, Hamilton 1, Jones 4. Totals 27 6-8 66.
Half: Cardinal Gibbons, 38-28.
