St. Frances vs Mount St. Joseph: Standout Prospects

The 101st meeting between St. Frances and Mount St. Joseph took place last night in what has become known as the "Battle of Baltimore" and the hosting Panthers kept things rolling as they improved their record to 21-4 overall and 7-1 in BCL play by a final score of 84-73. Mount St. Joseph falls to 19-5 overall and 6-3 in BCL competition with the loss. I'll highlight the standout prospects from this one below:    Getting out to an early lead in this game would end up being setting the tone for the remainder of this game and Jones had his fingerprints all over it as he was responsible for all 11 of St. Frances' points out of the gate to build an 11-0 lead. The 6-foot southpaw came out in the zone and needed the slightest of shooting windows to let it fly with confidence. 9 of his first 11 came from deep on hand-offs or slow rotations in ball screens as his man fought to get back and contest. From there, the defense was at his mercy as he started using the demand of gravity to bait his matchup with hesitations and an array of crossovers to get to the bucket and finish with feathery touch. On Sunday's win over Carroll (DC), you could tell that Jones' bout with the flu took the energy (and even some weight) from him, so it was good to see him back in his flow state in what is the best rivalry game in Baltimore. He was good for 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists.     The shotmaking from the St. Joe's pledge was nothing short of impressive. This game featured some most of the cold-blooded scorers that you'll find in the Baltimore area this year and Ranson belongs at the top of that list. His range extends well beyond the arc and even with his defender anticipating him rising up for an attempt, it doesn't alter Ranson's mechanics or confidence. After the slow start, Ranson buried an NBA three from the left wing and looked to spearhead the Gaels attack from there as he'd go onto score a game-high 34 points. When he wasn't teeing off from three, Ranson operated in the mid-post or along the baseline hitting what has become his patented fadeaway jumper that always seems to hit nothing but net on the makes. Ranson attacked off 1-to-2 dribbles and hit a flurry of pull-ups from 15-feet as well.     Fisk's stock continues to rise and his 27-point outing that combined with Jones for 54 of the team's 84 only adds to the argument. Once MSJ made the adjustment to cool down Jones after his blazing start, Fisk took his turn to showcase his offensive arsenal. There's a smoothness to Fisk's game off the bounce that makes everything he does look extremely polished. The ground he can cover off his hesitation-and-go keeps his defender at his mercy as a driver or getting right into his pull-up from any level on the floor. Fisk mixed it up well in the fashion of long-range jumpers or straight-line drives following one of his hesitations or crossovers and exhibited great burst to the rim before rotating defenders could alter his layup. Defensively he was very active in passing lanes where he generated multiple deflections for runouts and quick scores. The pressure that he applies to the defense with the ball in his hands is invaluable, but if there's one aspect of Fisk's game that has struggled over the last stretch it's his conversion rate at the free-throw line. These prolific scoring outings could've resulted in an even bigger number had he converted at even an 80 percent success rate.     Etolue was the next bright spot for the Gaels as he followed Ranson in the scoring column with 14 points. The 6-foot-3 off-ball guard is a valuable two-way weapon for head coach Pat Clatchey and tends to be assigned to the opposing team's best perimeter threat. He spent part of his night guarding either Jones or Fisk and did a nice job fighting over screens to make things difficult despite their big nights. Offensively, Etolue was in rhythm with his catch-and-shoot opportunities from the perimeter and was assertive on his drives while absorbing contact on his trips to the rim.     McMahon didn't pose a stat line that'll catch your eye immediately, but if you've watched this St. Frances team enough during their difficult national schedule, he has stepped up in key moments with huge shots that help maintain or sway the momentum for his team. It was the same last night for the 6-foot-7 lefty forward as Mount St. Joe made multiple runs to cut the lead down to 10 and established control as you assumed they'd pull within 5-to-8 points sooner rather than later. Instead, McMahon came off the bench and buried back-to-back three's to take the wind out of the Gaels sails and put the Panthers back up 16 as ultimate nail in the coffin. It wouldn't surprise me if McMahon ends up doing the same thing in a big postseason moment as he continues to shine in his role off the bench in the back half of the season.     McCoy is another role player on this St. Frances team who has leaned into his niche and is reaping the rewards. A well-built, 6-foot-3 southpaw guard, McCoy brings his up-tempo approach along with scrappy physicality from his days playing in the Baltimore City Public school scene. Things are starting to slow down a bit for McCoy as he's beginning to understand the game on a higher level and how to pick and choose his spots to impact the game. He's a tenacious defender both on or off the ball as he darts in passing lanes for steals and quickly gets to the opposing rim to tally points off turnovers. His jumper continues to trend in the right direction when he's playing off Fisk or Jones' paint touches as he has hit a few in the last couple of games from the corner. His presence on the glass and ability to play off the ball will be pivotal come playoff time.

The 101st meeting between St. Frances and Mount St. Joseph took place last night in what has become known as the "Battle of Baltimore" and the hosting Panthers kept things rolling as they improved their record to 21-4 overall and 7-1 in BCL play by a final score of 84-73. Mount St. Joseph falls to 19-5 overall and 6-3 in BCL competition with the loss. I'll highlight the standout prospects from this one below: