No. 5 Mount Carmel able to wear down No. 3 McDonogh
Mount Carmel boys basketball team was unable to find its offensive flow most of the way at McDonogh on Friday.
But things still turned out just fine for the No. 5 Cougars, who leaned on a couple second-half runs and staunch defense throughout to get past the No. 3 Eagles, 55-46.
Drew Dixon scored 14 points, Tristen Wilson had 13 and Junior Mancho finished with 11 for the winners, offsetting a 26-point performance from McDonogh’s Jeff Exinor.
Mount Carmel improved to 20-7 and 9-2 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference. McDonogh, which was without standout forward Rob Fields because of an illness, fell to 15-6 overall and 6-5 in league play.
Leading 30-28 at the half, the Cougars got a 3-pointer from Samartie Hill to open a 39-33 lead with 2 minutes, 28 seconds left in the third quarter. Going deep into their bench and mixing defensive looks, they clamped down on defense, pounded the boards and made enough key baskets and free throws to close out a gritty road win.
“It was an ugly game where we would start to get some separation and then we would have a self-inflicted wound,” Mount Carmel coach Tony Martin said. “But mainly we just want to play 10 guys and wear teams down.
“When you look up and see 46 [for McDonogh] — even though there were a couple things I didn’t like — we’ve got a chart, and every time we hold a team to 60 or under we’re winning.”
Dixon, a standout senior guard, was a force at both ends. On the opening possession of the third quarter he found Wilson on a lob for a tone-setting dunk and then followed with two transition baskets midway through the quarter to provide a cushion.
Exinor did all he could to keep the Eagles close. His follow and a 3-pointer got the home team within 39-36 with 2:11 to play in the third quarter before the Cougars methodically pulled away. A 7-0 run, capped by a fastbreak basket by Dixon, provided the game’s only double-digit lead at 52-42 with 1:17 to play.
“At the half Coach told us we had to pick it up, so I tried to set the intensity, we got some steals and tough buckets. Defense was the main thing,” Dixon said.
“We know we can all score, so we trust each other and share the ball, knowing anybody can step up on any night. We’re getting over the hump, that’s all I’ll say.”
McDonogh coach Gerald Abrams, who expects Fields back when the Eagles travel to Archbishop Spalding at 7 p.m. on Monday, said his standout’s absence and the Cougars defense proved too much to overcome.
“It’s just a different team [without Fields], but we fought and battled just didn’t get the shots to fall when we needed to and we needed a little better guard play that we just didn’t get tonight,” he said.
Mount Carmel returns to action 3 p.m. on Saturday
with a nonleague game against Bishop O’Connell at Towson University.
Other boys basketball scores Atholton 75, River Hill 70:
When the Raiders began the season losing four of their first five games, they emphasized the importance of not losing trust.
That teamwide belief shined through Friday night as the Raiders defeated No. 7 River Hill in a playoff-type atmosphere on the road. The win was the Raiders’ seventh in a row.
Trailing by one inside of a minute, Atholton (12-5, 8-4 Howard County) needed a big-time shot. Senior guard Amir Shaheed, who struggled from the field earlier in the game, never lost faith in himself.
The veteran used the space created for him by Juan Macatangay’s screen and elevated for the clutch go ahead 3-pointer with 51.7 seconds remaining.
“Never shy away from the moment,” Shaheed said of his mentality. “I was missing a lot throughout the game, so I just stayed locked in and took the shot.”
River Hill (15-2, 11-1) still had a chance to tie. On the Hawks’ ensuing possession Soma Unegbu’s interior shot rattled out as the Raiders corralled the rebound.
Then fellow senior Camden Thibeault stepped to the line and buried a pair of critical free throws, pushing the lead to four. Soon after, senior Deion Dent iced the game with a free throw inside of five seconds remaining, energizing the Raiders’ crowd.
— Jacob Steinberg South River 71, Arundel 70:
That which had been Arundel boys basketball’s downfall all night would be its ultimate demise — the reason South River pulled off its revenge win Friday.
A free throw — the very one that would’ve put South River down two in the dwindling seconds of the fourth quarter — ricocheted hard off the rim and into James Crimaudo’s
hands. The towering Seahawk protected the ball from prying Wildcats, then trusted the team’s fate to Liam Barney.
The stocky senior rolled down the floor with one of the most dangerous players in his path — Arundel’s Noah Frayer. Past the arc, Barney jabbed right and Frayer bodied him.
Barney then darted left in a flash, slipping Frayer just long enough to smack into another Wildcat and hit the ground. He still made the go-ahead basket.
Barney sprang to his feet and let all his relief, pride and power rip through him in a guttural scream, already sinking into his teammates’ celebrations.
“Cold-blooded,” South River coach Darren Hall said.
It wasn’t over then. Barney’s free throw missed the mark and rebounded into Arundel hands. Five seconds — Frayer (30 points) dished to Javeon Reed, who missed a 3-point attempt. Two seconds — Samson Anjorin collected the loose ball and let another 3-pointer fly. Every head turned to watch. The buzzer sounded a millisecond before that ball grazed the net and dropped harmlessly to the floor.
— Katherine Fominykh Catonsville 56, Patapsco 42:
It was a family affair on the court at Catonsville High on Friday night when the Comets defeated Patapsco. Senior Mike Owens made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points while his cousin, sophomore Gavin Edwards, had 10 steals.
Owens had three 3-pointers and Edwards had five steals in the first quarter when the Comets took a 17-14 lead.
Patapsco hung around thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by Noah Cornish and one by Malik Thomas, but the Comets’ defense slowed down the Patriots’ perimeter game the rest of the way and created havoc.
In the first half, Patapsco committed 18 turnovers
and the Comets had just two. The Patriots finished with 25 giveaways, while the Comets had six.
Did Owens feel like he was in a zone?
“I did, and I really worked out a lot over the summer pulling threes like those and it really built my confidence up, so it’s nothing new when they tried a box-andone with me,” he said.
— Craig Clary
North Harford 4 4 , North East 3 2
Loch Raven 4 9 , Franklin
48
Annapolis 6 3 , Southern 45
Joppatowne 7 0 , Fallston 52
Havre de Grace 6 1 , Patterson Mill 5 5
Westminster 5 4 , Francis Scott Key 5 1
Wilde Lake 59, Centennial 54
Hammond 5 5 , Glenelg 4 5 Mt. Hebron 8 5 , Oakland Mills 3 8
Glen Burnie 6 3 North County 4 1
Long Reach 74 , Howard 6 7 Northeast 8 0 , Crofton 6 0 Meade 7 8 , Chesapeake Science Point 5 5
Mount Saint Joseph 5 7, Archbishop Spalding 4 8 Calvert Hall 5 9, Gilman 5 5 Annapolis Area Christian 68,St.Mary’s66,2OT
Girls basketball Westminster 53, Francis Scott Key 45:
In just the blink of an eye, the environment inside Beard gym at Francis Scott Key High School reached a fever pitch as the student section decked out in flannel exploded following a half-court buzzer-beater by Summer Brooks that put the Eagles up four.
Much like he has all season, Westminster girls basketball coach David Urban urged his players to embrace the tough situation, persevere and create a moment they will remember from their time as an Owl.
“We go in and I’m like, ‘Ladies, enjoy this,’” he said. “‘You have a gym full of people yelling and screaming at you every possession,
they’re out here to watch you because you’re good. So go have fun and overcome.’”
Nothing in sports is more fun than winning. In a battle between the county’s top two teams, Urban’s team came out on fire in the second half, pulling away with a victory Friday night.
“It was a great win for us,” said Maddy Gassman, who finished with a game-high 24 points.
“We had to fight the whole game, they went on their runs and then we went on ours. We came together really well as a team.”
— Timothy Dashiell
Mount de Sales 4 2 , Garrison Forest 2 5
South River 7 4 , Arundel 1 0 Chesapeake-AA 4 2 , Old Mill 2 7
Centennial 4 5 , Wilde Lake 21
Southern 5 4 , Annapolis 4 7 Loch Raven 5 4 , Franklin 3 1 Western Tech 5 8 , Carver A&T 5 0 , OT
Broadneck 4 7, Severna Park 4 1
Manchester Valley 4 6 , Century 4 0
Reservoir 4 8 , Marriotts Ridge 1 2
Oakland Mills 47, Mt. Hebron 3 0
Hammond 5 3 , Glenelg 2 5 Pikesville 8 4 , Sparrows Point 3 0
Howard 4 6 , Long Reach 1 7 Gerstell 5 1 , Severn 2 5 Indian Creek 7 1 , Park 4 7 St. Mary’s 74 , Archbishop Spalding 6 0
Wrestling Chesapeake-AA 38, Old Mill 19:
The host Cougars beat the Patriots and claimed the Anne Arundel County championship. Michael Greenstreet (132) and Xander Dodd (215) recorded pins for Chesapeake.
Manchester Valley 4 7, C. Milton Wright 3 2
Edgewood 6 6 , Bohemia Manor 1 7