MIAA A Conference Championship: Standout Prospects

The Holy Cross pledge put together arguably his best performance of his high school career and that was without going for 15 or more points. Instead, the BCL first-teamer dazzled with his playmaking as a distributor as he reached double-digit assists, including the game-winning lob to a streaking [player_tooltip player_id='2454529' first='Junior' last='Mancho'] in overtime to win back-to-back MIAA crowns. His precision with pocket passes after high ball screens, drive-and-dumps to bigs in the dunker's spot as well as his court vision in the open floor were all instrumental in not only flirting with a triple-double, but also securing the win. Wilson finished with a packed stat line of 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.     Fisk was coming off his historic 42-point in the semifinal game and was a key aspect of Mt. Carmel's defensive game plan to keep out of the paint. As he typically does though, Fisk forced mismatches in ball screens or by using his quick first step to blow by his defender and force rotations. He struggled to find his groove, but got into rhythm when it mattered most as he scored 12 of his team-high 16 in the third quarter and overtime, where he accounted for five of the teams eight points in the extra four minutes of play. He shined in crunch time with his burst out of his hesitations and on multiple occasions, converted acrobatic lay-ups even through contact.     Howard was phenomenal around the bucket as he took home player of the game honors behind his 16-points, 5-rebound outing. As mentioned above, Wilson was dissecting the defense as a passer and the bulk of his assists came after Howard's screen-and-roll action or quick dives to the rim as Wilson drove baseline. When Howard is engaged as a cutter and screener as he was last night, the consistent numbers are there. His presence next to fellow frontcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id='2454529' first='Junior' last='Mancho'] helped alter drives around the rim or attempts in the paint.     McCoy got the start with 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2975252' first='TJ' last='Jones'] showing up late due to a family emergency and the 6-foot-3 southpaw had a positive impact on the game right away with his rough and rugged slashing ability. His seven first half points were key as St. Frances needed all the offensive help they could find against the proven Mount Carmel defense. McCoy chimed in with his usual defensive activity as he mucks things up on the ball while closing down the glass as he walked away from this one with nine points and five rebounds.     Mancho was on the receiving end of Wilson's lob with 1 second remaining in overtime in the play that lifted the Cougars to their second-straight title. He anchored the middle defensively along with Howard, acts as the quarterback with his willingness to speak up through all actions. He hauled in rebounds, quickly found guard for outlets and put his head down to rim-run where he was rewarded on a couple of possessions. The high-energy big man has been vital in Mt. Carmel's back-to-back run and will be key as they set their sight to the BCL Tournament on Sunday.     Spears is a name that I was intrigued with during fall workouts as he boasts and intriguing frame, plus length and an underrated skillset. Over the course of this season, he's had to earn his way into the rotation and eventually blossomed into someone that head coach Nick Myles inserted into the starting lineup. That boost of confidence served him well as different layers of his game started to emerge and last night folks were witnesses to the soft touch he possesses on his three-ball. He scored 10 points, six of which came from two catch-and-shoot triples all while flashing explosive athleticism around the rim on both ends. The sophomore worth monitoring tallied seven rebounds and two blocks in the effort.