Baltimore Catholic League Semifinals Set: St. Frances and Mount St. Joseph Advance with Key Wins

Defending champion St. Frances dominates Calvert Hall, while Mount St. Joseph outlasts Archbishop Spalding to punch its ticket to the BCL semifinals at Loyola’s Reitz Arena

Mount St. Joseph coach Pat Clatchey gives instructions during Friday’s Baltimore Catholic League Tournament quarterfinals. After an up-and-down regular season, the Gaels upset Archbishop Spalding, 66-65, to advance to Sunday’s semifinals at Loyola University. / Derek Toney

The semifinals of the 54th Baltimore Catholic League Tournament are set after Mount St. Joseph and St. Frances Academy won opening round matches Friday evening at Loyola University’s Reitz Arena. St. Frances routed Calvert Hall College, 77-42, while Mount St. Joseph outlasted Archbishop Spalding, 56-55.

Here are some takeaways and best individual efforts from Friday

St. Frances’ BCL title defense easily got underway

After two 30-point victories in the regular season, the Panthers had no complacency in the third meeting with Calvert Hall. St. Frances (29-7 overall) led 26-2 after the first eight minutes.

Panthers coach Nick Myles was able to rotate his reserves in the second quarter as 10 players scored for St. Frances, which Is seeking a record 12th BCL Tournament championship.

The road back to relevance may not be too long for “The Hall”

Ten years ago, Calvert Hall raised the BCL Tournament championship trophy for the seventh time in its storied history. It’s been a different story since for the Cardinals (12-19), who didn’t win a BCL contest (0-13) this season.

There’s reason for optimism moving forward for new coach David Gately, who was an assistant on the Cardinals’ 2015 title squad. The Cardinals have seven letter winners back next season including Friday’s starters in juniors Damir Tucker, sophomores Cameron Wood and Noah Cowan, and 6-foot-6 freshman Billy Stansfield.

Calvert Hall hasn’t advanced past the opening round since 2016.

Championship breakthrough falls apart for Archbishop Spalding

After reaching the BCL Tournament and Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference title games late season, Archbishop Spalding was poised to end its title drought this season. The wait continues for the Cavaliers after a late rally came up short Friday. 

Spalding (23-9), which lost to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 64-62, in the MIAA A semifinals last week, trailed 58-42 early in the fourth Friday. The Cavaliers surged back, trailing 64-62 with nine seconds.  

The Gaels converted two free throws to secure the win as Colt Busse’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was the final points of Spalding’s season.

“We lost our way in the third quarter, but we fought back and it just wasn’t enough,” said Cavaliers coach Josh Pratt. “We got to play smarter as a team and got to execute better at the end. It is what it is — they earned the game and we didn’t.”

Spalding last won a BCL Tournament title in 2002. 

Mount St. Joseph finds its “Mojo” 

An unusual season took a turn down a familiar road for Mount St. Joseph Friday. The Gaels put together one of their best stretches of the season, going on a 22-3 run from midway in the third quarter through midway in the fourth.

Mount St. Joseph (21-16), the tournament No. 6 seed, lost twice to Spalding during the regular season. The Gaels, who’ve won nine BCL tournaments and 12 BCL regular season titles since 2003, won only four regular season league games, its worst mark since 1997.

“It’s been a crazy season — not our normal expectation or standard — but we showed what we’re capable of tonight,” Mount Saint Joseph coach Pat Clatchey said. 

The Gaels will match up longtime Baltimore City rival St. Frances in the semifinals Sunday at Reitz Arena. The Panthers won the first three meetings this season, including a 73-52 decision in the MIAA A quarterfinals last week.

Top performers from Friday

Braxton Bogard, Archbishop Spalding - One of the state’s elite freshmen, Bogard had 12 points (all in the first half), five rebounds and two assists. The 6-foot-8 forward/post was selected to the All-BCL regular season first-team.

Kam Carter, Archbishop Spalding - Carter, a 5-foot-11 junior guard, was the spark behind Spalding’s fourth quarter rally, scoring 13 of his game-high 21 points. Carter, a second-team All-BCL selection, added four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Cam Fleming, St. Frances Academy - Fleming was one of five double-digit performers as the Panthers began their BCL Tournament title defense. The 6-foot-7 senior forward finished with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. 

BJ Ranson, Mount St. Joseph - The 6-foot-1 junior guard finished with a game-best 21 points with eight rebounds and two steals. A second-team All-BCL pick, Ranson dropped four 3-pointers Friday.

Chauncey Word, Mount St. Joseph - Word, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard, came up big for the Gaels Friday. He scored 16 points in the second half to share game-high honors with backcourt mate BJ Ranson, and had four assists and three rebounds.