BCL Semi-Final Sunday

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Baltimore Catholic League held their slate of tournament games today, and both games went down to the wire! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mount Carmel Cougars (No. 1 seed) handled business against the John Carroll Patriots (No. 4 seed) and came out on top 45-41. The Mount St. Joseph Gaels (No. 6 seed) pulled off the big upset over the St. Frances Panthers (No. 2 seed).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's how it all went down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game 1: John Carroll (4) vs Mt. Carmel (1) - 45-41 Mt. Carmel</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carmel jumped right out to a big lead early in this game thanks to tough defense and more consistent offensive execution. They went up 13-5 in the first quarter and then took a big 24-11 lead in the 2nd. [player_tooltip player_id='1782668' first='Tristen' last='Wilson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1370512' first='Mario' last='Tatum'] had their hand in this game early, each making plays on the offensive and defensive ends. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After falling down by as many as 13 points in the 1st half, John Carroll went on a mini-run to help close the gap before the half. [player_tooltip player_id='1782586' first='Aidan' last='Able'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2453731' first='Parris' last='Lee'] had some momentum-shifting baskets late in the second quarter to help lead a 9-4 run heading into the half. [player_tooltip player_id='2547300' first='Andrew' last='Clark'] started to become more aggressive on the glass as well, which helped John Carroll see some more baskets. Had a putback layup to end the half for JC and get within 8 (28-20 Carmel at half)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clark and Able led JC to a big second half, playing with heart and grit to keep their team within 3 for the majority of the third quarter. The intensity started to pick up and the possessions were becoming more and more important for each team. Carmel stayed with their slower controlled pace and used turnovers as their chance to get out on the break. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andrew was a menace on the glass creating second opportunities and finishing inside. In the 4th quarter JC had came as close to 1 point of taking the lead over Mt. Carmel. In the end, it was Samartine Hill who stole the show. Gliding down the lane for clutch layups and made some great dumpoffs to his bigs to help stave off the figting Patriots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game 2: Mount St. Joseph (6) vs St. Frances (2) - 58-56 MSJ</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game was a battle from the start to the finish. The Gaels were coming in hot off an upset win over Spalding on Friday night, and they carried their momentum into this Sunday afternoon against St. Frances. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two teams offered up basket for basket in the first quarter, SFA taking a slight 18-14 lead behind a quick start from the two bigs [player_tooltip player_id='1414526' first='Trent' last='Egbiremolen'] and Camren Flemming. [player_tooltip player_id='1963387' first='Kamauri' last='Lawson'] got things going early with a quick 4 points after struggling the past couple games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2252277' first='BJ' last='Ranson'], coming off his 21 point quarterfinal outing, looked to be in the same locked-in form. After he sank his first jumpshot of the game, he immediately looked for more. He scored 11 points in the 2nd quarter and helped MSJ keep pace with a skilled St. Frances team. The two teams traded baskets again in the second quarter, ending things in a tight 35-34 SFA halftime lead. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second half was a bit more physical as the teams scored 12 (MSJ) and 11 (SFA) points respectively. Things got tougher in the trenches and the teams were scoring less frequently. Forward [player_tooltip player_id='1371862' first='Brandon' last='Holmes'] and guard [player_tooltip player_id='1371859' first='Joseph' last='Green'] played very effectively as the game shifted styles. They embraced the physicality and made it a point to out-muscle SFA under the rim. Holmes had a couple of big blocks in the 3rd quarter to spark the Gaels to tie things up at 46 heading into the 4th.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Terence Jones III started to find his rhythm as the game called for big shots. He added in a crucial 10 second half points to total 11 for the game. He and Trent E (20p/9r) led SFA to a 1-point lead with 8 seconds to go. But it was the red-hot shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2252277' first='BJ' last='Ranson'] (24p/8r) and the Gaels who had the last laugh as he buried a fadeway three-pointer from the corner to walk-off with a win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ranson led MSJ to the big-time win to clinch a spot in the BCL Championship tomorrow at 8 PM vs the No. 1 seeded Mount Carmel Cougars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game will be held at Reitz Arena in Baltimore. JV Championship will start at 6 PM ET and Varsity will follow at 8 PM ET.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->