Nail-biting night for Cougars
Mount Carmel scrambles past Spalding after leading by 24
The Mount Carmel basketball team found itself in scramble mode throughout Friday’s fourth quarter against visiting Archbishop Spalding.
The 24-point advantage the Cougars had built with efficient play at both ends was dwindling in the fourth quarter. Two of their top players fouled out. The Cavaliers cranked up the defense and were turning turnovers into points. Twice in the final minute, the visitors tied the game.
In past seasons, Mount Carmel coach Trevor Quinn said his team would have probably crumbled. On Friday, the Cougars grinded through. Freshman guard Andrew Dixon made one free throw with three seconds left, proving the difference as Mount Carmel claimed a thrilling 80-79 win over Spalding.
Toby Nnadozie, who fouled out early in the fourth, finished with a team-high 21 points as the Cougars had all five starters
reach double figures. They improve to 11-1 overall, 9-1 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference and 5-1 in the Baltimore Catholic League. Spalding, which got a game-high 30 points from junior Cam Whitmore, is 9-2 overall, 8-2 in the MIAA and 4-2 in the BCL.
With Nnadozie and Kevin Kalu, who finished with 16 points and dominated the boards, on the bench for the home stretch, the Cougars leaned on junior guard Deon Perry (16 points), Dixon (15 points) and key contributions from Kevin Chinnia from the bench.
After Dixon put them up one, Spalding’s Jalen Bouknight got past midcourt and had to double pump a heave that was off the mark due to Chinnia’s alert defense.
“We had to execute down the stretch with some other guys off the bench and they did a good job to finish the game. Probably in previous years, we would have lost our composure. But Deon Perry has been in these situations the past couple years and he kind of led the way for us,” Quinn said.
Smoothly running a balanced offense and dominating the boards led to a 46-34 halftime lead that was extended to 66-42 when Nnadozie hit a 3 pointer with 1:32 left in the third quarter.
But the Cavaliers put good use to the final minute of the third quarter — closing with a 7-2 run — and then continued to press in the fourth behind Whitmore and CJ Scott. When Scott (18 points) hit a 3 pointer with 3:59 to play, the lead was cut to double digits at 73-64. With Nnadozie and Kalu on the bench, Whitmore took over. He hit a 3 pointer with 1:20 to play and scored inside to cut the Mount Carmel lead to 77-75 with 54 seconds left. After a steal, Ty Peterson was fouled and hit two free throws to tie the game at 77. Two made free throws from Perry gave the lead back to the Cougars with 31 seconds before Whitmore scored inside to tie the game again with 15 seconds to play.
Dixon showed confidence with the ball, getting fouled driving on the baseline. He made the first free throw and it proved enough.
“I knew I had to step up,” he said.
As for holding off the Cavaliers fourth-quarter surge, he added: “You just got to keep your mind, keep playing and that’s what we did.”
Spalding coach Josh Pratt was quick to credit the Cougars for coming out fast and prepared, and also proud with how his Cavaliers showed no quit in rallying from the big deficit.
“What the players and everybody says is they punched us in the face. I think we needed it. To our credit, we came back. We showed a lot of fight and I’m just really proud of the kids, but you got to move on,” he said.
For the Cavaliers, they’ll be back at practice Saturday to prepare for Sunday’s 2 p.m. home game against Calvert Hall to begin the final week of the regular season.
Mount Carmel looks to carry the momentum into Monday’s showdown against undefeated St. Frances with game time set for 6 p.m.
“St. Frances is a great team … considered the cream of the crop this year,” Quinn said. “But each game is different so whatever they have done so far and whatever we have done so far really doesn’t matter. Every game is different. We take it game by game and scout by scout and just hope on the 32 minutes we’re on the floor, we come out on the right end.”
— Pennick 5, Whitmore 30, Scott 18, Peterson 16, Bouknight 2, Saucier 3, Elung 2, Rivers 3. 2816-2479 — Nnadozie 21, K. Kalu 16, Perry 16, Dixon 15, M. Kalu 10, Chinnia 2. 2719-2680.
MC, 46-34
De’Torrion Ware scored a gamehigh 29 points and Morgan State used a second-half rally to win 82-61 over Coppin State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal Friday in the Scope Center at Norfolk, Virginia. Ware went 9-for-20 from the field, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range, and 6-for-7 from the line. The Bears (14-7) outscored the Eagles (9-13), 55-25 in the second half. Morgan State advances to face second-seeded Norfolk State Saturday at 1 p.m. in the championship game and a shot to earn spot in the NCAA tournament. Coppin State was led by Yuat Alok (17 points) and brothers Nendah Tarke (15 points) and Anthony Tarke (10 points).
Women’s basketball
North Carolina A&T 69, Morgan
State 54: Adia Brisker scored a gamehigh 23 points, but the Bears (12-4) fell to the Aggies (13-2) in the semifinals of the MEAC tournament in Norfolk, Virginia. DejaWintersledN.C.A&Twith 22 points. The Aggies led start to finish and by as many as 16 points.
Women’s Lacrosse
No. 8 Maryland 9, Johns Hopkins 8, OT: Hannah Leubecker scored her gamehigh fourth goal and the game-winner unassisted with 3:08 left in overtime to lift the visiting Terps (3-1, 3-1 Big Ten) over the Blue Jays (2-4, 2-4).
Maryland led 8-6 before Hopkins scored two goals over the final 10 minutes, including the tying goal by Aurora Cordingley with 6:09 left to force overtime. Cordingley, Maggie Schneidereith (Towson) and Mackenzie Heldberg each finished with two goals for the Blue Jays.
Men’s soccer
Maryland 2, Michigan 1: The Maryland men’s soccer team topped No. 6 Michigan in Brighton, Michigan. The win was head coach Sasho Cirovski’s 400th at Maryland. Seniors Mike Heitzmann and Paul Bin tallied for the Terps, who have now won two straight.
Football
Towson return: A year to the day after all athletic activities were suspended, the Tigers returned to the field for the first day of spring practice. On March 12, 2020, the team had its second spring practice before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension, and later cancellation, of all NCAA competition for the reminder of the academic year. The Tigers practiced on the newly renovated Lower Fields Complex on Friday morning to kick off the spring season.