Mount Carmel boys basketball started the season as a collection of talent filled with promise.
And then throughout the season, the No. 1 Cougars jelled and sacrificed to become a well-assembled team. Keyword: team.
When the postseason arrived, the prideful team from Essex proved too big, too deep and, most importantly, too together.
Mount Carmel capped its historic season on Monday night with a commanding 53-38 win over No. 7 Mount Saint Joseph to capture the 54th annual Baltimore Catholic League Tournament title at Loyola Maryland’s Reitz Arena.
It’s the first BCL championship for the Cougars, who also captured their first Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference crown nine days before. They finish with a 34-4 record — the most wins in program history — under second-year coach Tony Martin, who is the first coach in BCL history to win tournament championships for three programs. He won one at Spading and two at John Carroll.
The only previous titles Mount Carmel owns are from its time in the MIAA C (2004-05) and B conferences (2005-06, 2007-08).
“For these guys to overcome some ghosts and some history — it’s not easy. They’re a very together group. It’s a lot of good hearts with our kids, good people,” Martin said.
Fittingly, the Cougars relied on fierce team defense and a balanced offense on Monday.
Senior guard Mario Tatum, a four-year varsity player who epitomized the team play, was chosen the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Joining him on the All-BCL Tournament team were teammates Rodney Scott and Gage Howard; Mount Saint Joseph’s BJ Ranson and Joseph Green; and John Carroll’s Andrew Clark.
“This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of, for sure,” Tatum said. “Everybody wants to see each other win and that’s really what matters most and we got it done. We just play together and that’s what it’s been all about all year.”
Leading from the opening basket, the Cougars had a late burst in the final two minutes of the second quarter to build a 10-point halftime advantage.
Samartine Hill started the mini-run with a corkscrew drive through traffic that he finished with a remarkable reverse layup for a 27-20 lead. The second effort on defense helped make it 30-20. Ralph Rudusans missed a 3-pointer, but the Cougars quickly got the ball back with a steal and gave it back to him. He didn’t miss the second time from the same spot.
In the second half, straight-up man-to-man defense and some splash plays carried the Cougars to the end.
The Gaels cut the deficit to eight points in both the third and fourth quarters but got no closer. Late in the third, Howard (14 points, seven rebounds) blocked Aaron Early’s shot and then raced down the court to finish inside off a feed from Scott to make it 39-26. Mount Carmel forward Junior Mancho made his impact in the fourth with three straight baskets, the last one a nifty spin move in the lane for a 49-35 lead with 2:23 to play.
Scott, who alongside Tatum was a four-year varsity player and the team’s unquestioned leader at point guard, never envisioned sweeping the MIAA A and BCL crowns when he walked through the door as a freshman. But as his senior season progressed, he saw something special.
“It was very important for me and Mario — the two seniors that have been here all four years and we hadn’t won anything — so everybody else just wanted to play for us and we just wanted to play for them. So we all just wanted to win,” Scott said.
After a down year by its standard and an early exit in the MIAA A playoffs, Mount Saint Joseph (22-17) made an impressive charge in the BCL Tournament. Seeded sixth, the Gaels knocked off No. 3 Spalding in Friday’s quarterfinal round and then got a 3-pointer from junior BJ Ranson just before the buzzer to upset No. 2 St. Frances in Sunday’s semifinal.
On Monday, they simply couldn’t shake the Cougars’ tough defense. Joseph Green led the Gaels with 11 points and Ranson was kept in check with 10.
“Hopefully, it gives our guys some confidence and understanding what it takes to win and how to prevent losing and things like that,” coach Pat Clatchey said. “We only have two seniors, so this was a good experience for returning players, the young guys — playing the two games prior to this and coming out with wins in close games and then being in the championship game. Hopefully, it will pay off down the road.”
Between the first and second quarters, the league recognized BCL commissioner Jack Degele, who is in his 25th year at the post.
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MSJ — 10-10-11-7 — 38
MC — 14-16-11-12 — 53
MSJ: Ranson 10, Green 11, Holmes 2, Word 4, Early 4, Purnell 3, Anthony 4
MC: Howard 14, Wilson 4, Scott 6, Mancho 9, Rudusans 5, Tatum 9, Hill 6
