Spalding falls to Mount Saint Joseph in conference final

Steeped in winning tradition, Mount Saint Joseph basketball brings a built-in measure of confidence that regularly shows up this time of year.

With a considerable challenge from upstart Archbishop Spalding in Saturday night’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A

Conference championship game, it was anybody’s game in the closing minutes. But the Gaels made sure the moment would belong to them.

The final two minutes consisted of determined stops on defense, enough offense and four straight makes at the free-throw line that sent Mount Saint Joseph to a 57-52 win over the Cavaliers at UMBC’s packed Chesapeake Employers

Insurance Arena.

Mount Saint Joseph (35-4) claimed the program’s eighth MIAA A title with a collective team effort led by senior Jordan Brathwaite’s 19-point, five-rebound performance. Senior guard Ryan Truitt (12 points) made two free throws with 11 seconds left to give the Gaels a 55-51 lead; senior Tyonne Farrell added 11 points and five rebounds; and junior Joe Green keyed the defensive effort.

“It’s a great feeling,” Brathwaite said. “We worked hard all year to get to this point, so we wanted to come out here and play hard. To see the clock [at zero] and for us to come out with a win, I’m just happy and feel blessed.”

The Gaels, who beat Spalding in both regular-season meetings, led from the onset and had a 31-22 lead after Green followed a miss with 6:27 left in the third quarter.

But the Cavaliers, who got a 20-point, 13-rebound performance from junior Malik Washington, simply kept working hard and believing. They made an assertive 14-4 run in a four-minute stretch,

capped by Kam Carter’s 3-pointer, to take their first lead at 36-35 with 2:38 to play in the third.

“It was a heck of a game and we were right there,” Spalding coach Josh Pratt said. “I think in the beginning, our nerves might have got to us. But the resilience of our team, we didn’t quit when I think we were down eight or nine and came right back.”

In a game tied at 39 going into the fourth quarter, neither team built a lead of more than two points until the final two minutes. Truitt gave the Gaels a 51-49 advantage with 2:25 left before they forced a Spalding turnover and went to Farrell inside for a four-point lead with 1:51 left.

After Washington cut the deficit to 53-51 with 1:23 to play, the Gaels got two more stops and Truitt’s free throws to make it a two-possession game. Spalding senior Mike Lonergan, fouled with five seconds left, made one of two free throws before Brathwaite sealed the championship with two free throws after an immediate foul.

“Hats off to Spalding, a great effort by them,” Mount Saint Joseph coach Pat Clatchey said. “I always tell our guys when we get to this point, the other team wants to win just as bad. We had them down nine and they just kept fighting back. But our guys, we’re built for championships and we just got the stops when we needed them, executed when we had to and guys stepped up and made free throws.”

The Cavaliers (21-9) entered on a seven-game winning streak with their confidence boosted by a strong start-to-finish performance in Thursday’s 60-56 semifinal win at No. 2 Mount Carmel.

The key in that game was a fast start that led to a 10-0 lead. On Saturday, Spalding struggled early on offense, missing its first eight shots and committing four turnovers before Washington scored a follow basket with 1:48 left in the first quarter.

“We got some good young guys and the best thing is, and what I love, is that we do have another tournament,” Pratt said. “This isn’t the end, so that’s the best thing about being in the MIAA and Baltimore Catholic League, so it is what it is. Give them credit. They made a couple more shots than us.”

The teams move on to the three-day BCL Tournament, set to run from Friday through Sunday at Goucher College.

In Friday’s quarterfinal round, Mount Saint Joseph, the regular-season champion and the top seed, takes on eighth-seeded Calvert Hall at 6:30 p.m. Spalding enters as the fourth seed and will face fifth-seeded St. Maria Goretti at 8:15.

AS — 4-9-16-19 — 52

MSJ — 9-15-15-18 — 57

AS — Washington 20, M. Lonergan 1, Moultrie 3, Barrett 11, Carter 3, Sykes 9, Williamson 5.

MSJ — Brathwaite 19, Ranson 4, Green 7, Truitt 12, Wingfield 2, Holmes 2, Farrell 11.