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St. Mary’s gets 10th straight victory with win at Pallotti
One Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference victory by a B Conference squad could be passed off as a good night, or maybe a fluke or luck.
But two A Conference victories is a trend, one that St. Mary’s boys basketball would very much like everyone to remember.
The Saints continued their exceptional season and eye-opening wins over traditionally superior teams on Thursday, as they led Pallotti start-to-finish in a 54-44 win in Laurel. It’s St. Mary’s’ 10th straight victory and second in a row against an A Conference opponent after beating Gilman on Monday.
St. Mary’s (12-2) recently completed an unbeaten campaign against their B Conference as well.
“It feels as good as it can feel. It’s been a long road to get here, and I know our guys were really fired up,” St. Mary’s coach Trey Quinn said. “See where they measure up against better competition.”
St. Mary’s labored to navigate a Pallotti’s defense in the first quarter, as junior Jacob Aryee couldn’t move without Panthers junior Warren Mouganda (13 points) following him.
It took every Saints player on the floor to string together enough offense that could get the better of Pallotti — so they did.
Six players contributed as the Saints took a 15-12 lead into the second quarter, and it was one fragile enough they’d need to work tirelessly to keep with Panthers sophomore Devon Williams and junior CJ McCord on the prowl.
As the two combined for seven
points early in the quarter, Pallotti always stayed within a bucket of tying or taking the lead. Even with Pallotti gaining on them, St. Mary’s stayed to the basics to keep them buoyant. Crisp passes under heavy pressure led to putbacks and defensive rebounds to baskets. It didn’t hurt that junior Connor Harris (13 points) made three baskets, either.
“We just kept saying, ‘trust your teammates, trust your teammates, if you make the first play’ — Pallotti’s great defensively — you gotta make the next pass and that guy’s gotta be ready,” Quinn said. “You always go back to your fundamentals when things get tough.”
With two fastbreak baskets, the Panthers closed the gap — that is, until Aiden Harris got his say. The sophomore hurried to the perimeter and drained in a 3-pointer that put St. Mary’s in front, 29-23, at the half.
Though guys like Aryee are known to be the ones to take over on any given night, St. Mary’s’ success this season funneled through its next-man-up mentality. Aidan Harris embodied that, scoring a team-high 17 points.
“Jacob’s a great player, but we all have different nights. And tonight was a great night,” the sophomore said.
But even as the Saints added to their lead, four Panthers — Myles Bright, William Webster-Brown, Jonathan Glover and Mouganda — combined for a 10-5 run to cut the deficit to one, 34-33.
Quinn talked about their in-practice game in the huddle, one called “two stops,” where they can’t move onto offense without first getting two defensive stops.
“We just gotta get two in a row — that was our focus,” Quinn told his players. “We went out and executed it.”
Aidan Harris and Ajani Lomax wouldn’t let their team fall. The first stemmed the momentum with a layup and the latter drained a 3-pointer that put the Saints in front, 39-33, heading into the fourth quarter. They never looked back. The Saints finish their season Monday against Interscholastic Athletic Conference squad Georgetown Prep of Bethesda.