MIAA A Conference Playoff Preview
In this article:
Tuesday officially begins postseason play in the MIAA A Conference and now that the standings have been finalized, matchups have been set. Times are TBD and will be updated on this article once released, but we’ll preview the four games…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingTuesday officially begins postseason play in the MIAA A Conference and now that the standings have been finalized, matchups have been set. Times are TBD and will be updated on this article once released, but we’ll preview the four games that will take place Tuesday Feb. 21 hosted by the higher seed.
No. 1 Mount St. Joe vs No. 4 Loyola
The Gaels are rolling on all cylinders at the most important time of the year as they ended their season on a 17-game winning streak to finish 33-3 overall. Loyola enters this on riding a two-game losing streak as they look to pull off what would be the upset of the year. Mount St. Joe won both meetings between these two teams by an average of 14 points.
Players to watch:
MSJ- ’23 Amani Hansberry Amani Hansberry 6'7" | C Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State #52 Nation MD (Illinois), ’23 Ace Valentine Ace Valentine 6'2" | PG Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State MD (UMBC), ’23 Austin Abrams Austin Abrams 6'3" | SG Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State MD (Stonehill), ’23 Sean Clark Sean Clark 6'1" | CG Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State MD , ’24 Tyonne Farrell Tyonne Farrell 6'6" | PF Mount St. Joseph | 2024 State #210 Nation MD , ’24 DJ Wingfield DJ Wingfield 6'1" | CG Mount St. Joseph | 2024 State MD , ’25 Joe Green
Loyola: ’23 Ryder Drew Ryder Drew 6'2" | SG Loyola Blakefield | 2023 State MD , ’24 J’Lin Brown J’Lin Brown 6'4" | SF Loyola Blakefield | 2024 State MD , ’25 Mason Ellison, ’25 Quron Elliot
No. 1 St. Frances vs No. 4 Glenelg Country
While this is a No. 1 vs No. 4 matchup, I’d say Glenelg Country has the argument for having the most talent other than MSJ and St. Frances. The Panthers got back to their winning ways after taking a loss on Super Bowl Sunday to MSJ with wins over Loyola and John Carroll. Maryland commit Jahnathan Lamothe Jahnathan Lamothe 6'3" | CG St. Frances | 2023 State #204 Nation MD set a school record with 57 points in his final game in a St. Frances uniform. After winning three-straight games, the Dragons took a double-digit loss to Mt. Carmel on Friday evening. These teams met once during the regular season where it took two overtimes before St. Frances ran away with an 87-74 win.
Players to watch:
SFA- ’23 Carlton Carrington Carlton Carrington 6'4" | CG St. Frances | 2023 State #84 Nation MD (Pittsburgh), ’23 Jahnathan Lamothe Jahnathan Lamothe 6'3" | CG St. Frances | 2023 State #204 Nation MD (Maryland), ’25 Tyler Jackson Tyler Jackson 6'2" | CG St. Frances | 2025 #40 Nation MD
GC- ’23 Jackson Pugh Jackson Pugh 5'9" | PG Glenelg Country | 2023 State MD , ’24 Drew McKenna Drew McKenna 6'7" | PF Glenelg Country | 2024 #61 Nation MD , ’24 Dominic Carr Dominic Carr 6'8" | C Riverdale Baptist | 2025 State MD , , ’24 Xavier Pickett Xavier Pickett 5'11" | PG Riverdale Baptist | 2024 State MD , ’25 Jalen Baker Jalen Baker 6'4" | SG Glenelg Country | 2025 State MD
No. 2 Mount Carmel vs No. 3 Calvert Hall
Mount Carmel is another team who has found their footing to end the regular season by rattling off four-straight wins. Depth is key with the Cougars and if they’re able to execute in crunch time, they’re fully capable of making a run as they did last season. The Cardinals enter this one with a 2-4 record in their last six games, but have a few guys who can catch fire and change the course of a game. These two split the regular season matchups with Calvert Hall winning by 10 in the first game and Mt. Carmel winning by 13 in the second.
Players to watch:
MC: ’23 Omarion Reid Omarion Reid 6'6" | C Mt. Carmel | 2023 State MD , ’23 Mitchell Kalu Mitchell Kalu 6'5" | PF Mt. Carmel | 2023 State MD , ’23 Drazen Sinogoj, ’23 Allen Mordi Allen Mordi 6'6" | PF Mt. Carmel | 2023 MD , ’24 Andrew Dixon Andrew Dixon 6'1" | PG Mt. Carmel | 2024 State MD , ’25 Mario Tatum Mario Tatum 6'2" | PG Mt. Carmel | 2025 State MD , ’25 Rodney Scott Rodney Scott 5'10" | PG Mt. Carmel | 2025 State MD
Calvert Hall: ’23 Jonah Biggers Jonah Biggers 6'6" | C Calvert Hall | 2023 State MD , ’23 Troy Tinch Troy Tinch 6'3" | SG Calvert Hall | 2023 MD , ’24 Brendan Johnson Brendan Johnson 6'4" | SG Calvert Hall | 2024 State MD , ’24 Tyrin Bizzelle Tyrin Bizzelle 6'2" | PG Calvert Hall College | 2024 State MD
No. 2 John Carroll vs No. 3 Archbishop Spalding
Before losing their final regular season game, John Carroll had been riding a four-game winning streak. This year was certainly looked at as more of a developmental year for the Patriots, but their ability to get hot from the outside at any given moment is what can make them a potential danger in postseason play. Spalding is another young roster who brings plenty of grit and toughness to the table. The Cavs are 1-4 in their last five entering Tuesday’s game. The regular season series was split 1-1 with each team winning by three points. It couldn’t be much more of a toss up than this.
Players to watch:
JC: ’23 Jeannot Basima Jeannot Basima 6'3" | CG John Carroll | 2023 State #200 Nation MD (Yale), ’25 Caden Chinnia, ’25 Theartis Battle Theartis Battle 6'4" | SG John Carroll | 2025 State MD , ’26 Aidan Able Aidan Able 6'3" | SG John Carroll | 2026 State MD
Spalding: ’24 RJ Newton RJ Newton 6'4" | SF Archbishop Spalding | 2024 MD , ’25 Malik Washington Malik Washington 6'5" | SF Archbishop Spalding | 2025 MD , ’26 Elijah Barrett Elijah Barrett 6'2" | CG Archbishop Spalding | 2026 State MD , ’26 TJ Moultrie TJ Moultrie 6'3" | CG Archbishop Spalding | 2026 State MD