No. 1 Ranking, BCL Crown on the Line as Mount Carmel and St. Frances Get Set for Round Four

Terence Jones’ redemption performance lifts St. Frances past Spalding in OT while Mount Carmel powers by Mount Saint Joseph, setting up another championship clash between Maryland heavyweights.

Mount Carmel basketball team celebrates as Tristen Wilson places the team’s name on the  championship bracket line. The Cougars defeated Mount Saint Joseph in Monday’s other semifinal for a chance to repeat as Baltimore Catholic League champions. / Derek Toney

More than the Brother D. John Smith Trophy will be at stake in the 55th Baltimore Catholic League Tournament championship game Wednesday.

The No. 1 boys basketball ranking in Maryland will be on the line as Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Frances Academy advanced to the title match with semifinal victories Monday evening at Loyola University of Maryland’s Reitz Arena. 

Mount Carmel (30-10 overall), the defending tourney champ, defeated Mount Saint Joseph, 59-40. Holy Cross University commit Tristen Wilson had 10 points and three assists and Ralfs Rudusans, who’s headed to Lehigh, finished with 10.

St. Frances (35-7), the tourney’s No. 1 seed, outlasted Archbishop Spalding, 61-58, in overtime. Junior guard Terence Jones finished with 15 points and six rebounds, and Anthony Smith added 13 points.

Here’s some takeaways from Monday’s Baltimore Catholic League semifinal action:

Archbishop Spalding and Saint Frances Put on Another Thrilling Show

This season’s Spalding/St. Frances series could be called “Three’s Company.”

Three games. Margin of victory in each: Three points. 

In the first overtime in a BCL semifinal since 2015, St. Frances completed a season-sweep. The Panthers overcame a nine-point third quarter deficit.

Saint Frances never trailed in overtime as a Jones’ 3-pointer and Anthony Smith’s layup after a nifty pass from Carter Fisk put the Panthers up, 54-49, with 2 minutes left. But a failed alley-oop attempt and missed free throws by St. Frances opened the door for Spalding, which missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

St. Frances’ Carter Fisk prepares to put up a shot as Archbishop Spalding’s Nash Avery (22) defends during Monday’s Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals at Loyola University. The Panthers advance to the final with a 61-58 overtime win over the Cavaliers. / Derek Toney

St. Frances won 70-67 and 66-63, during the regular season.

“That’s our thing, finding a way,” said Jones. “That’s a good team (Spalding) over there. We always battle and I love those guys over there.”

The Championship Wait Stretches on for Spalding

Another strong season, another disappointing end for Archbishop Spalding. The Cavaliers were impressive, building a nine-point lead early in the second half. 

Spalding (20-14) didn’t wilt after a barrage of 3-pointers from St. Frances, late in third into the fourth, quickly turned things around. The Cavaliers escaped from a possible three-possession hole in the final minute of overtime, pulling to within 58-56, after a layup from Kam Carter with 19.9 seconds left. 

The Cavaliers still had life at 59-58 following Nash Avery’s two free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining. After Fisk converted two free throws, TJ Moultrie’s heave from inside the half court line fell short of the basket.

Avery finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, and Moultrie, a senior guard, added 10. The Cavaliers out-rebounded St. Frances, 40-21, but had 19 turnovers (St. Frances had 6), including a shot clock violation late in regulation.

“It comes down to possessions and valuing them…we stopped moving the ball” said Spalding coach Josh Pratt, whose team lost in last year’s semifinals and the final in 2024 (last won a Baltimore Catholic League Tournament crown in 2002). “We’ll break through one day.”

Terence Jones Finds his Groove and a Little Redemption

Terence Jones walked out the Saint Frances’ locker room after Monday’s win, wearing Panthers coach Nick Myles’ sports coat for a postgame interview. 

A year ago, Jones dejectedly held the basketball under the basket on the Reitz Arena court as Mount Saint Joseph’s BJ Ranson and his teammates celebrated his game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in last year’s semifinal.

Jones, a first-team All-Baltimore Catholic League selection who’s been struggling in the postseason, scored five of his 15 points in overtime, including a 3-pointer that gave St. Frances the lead for good.

Jones’ other 3-pointer was part of a four-trifecta barrage by the Panthers, wiping out a nine-point third quarter deficit.

“We knew we were going to come out with the win. Nobody really panicked,” said Jones, who holds several early Power 4 scholarship offers including from Nebraska and Virginia Tech. “We just had to keep playing like we know how to play.”

Mount Carmel Shifts into Championship-Esque Gear

After getting past No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s, Mount Carmel was engaged from the opening tip in its semifinal with Mount Saint Joseph (31-7). The Cougars scored the first 10 points and led by as many as 19.

Mount Carmel, looking to become the first team to win the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament and Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference crown in back-to-back seasons, outscored Mount Saint Joseph, 30-14, in the paint. 

Senior guard Antwan Williams set the tone for the Cougars with two 3-pointers in the 10-point salvo.

“We knew this was going to be a close game so we paced ourselves a bit on Sunday,” said Williams. “We were prepared to come out with the victory.”

Setting the Stage for Round Four Between Mount Carmel and St. Frances

After dueling for the MIAA A crown last week at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC), the Panthers and Cougars reunite Wednesday evening at Loyola University for the Baltimore Catholic League championship. Mount Carmel edged St. Frances in overtime in the MIAA A final, 59-57, on Junior Mancho’s basket with 2.9 seconds left. 

Gage Howard was the title game’s Most Valuable Player with 16 points, seven rebounds and a block. Fisk had 16 points and five assists for St. Frances. 

The Panthers defeated Mount Carmel at home, 77-67, on Feb. 8. St. Frances connected on 11 3-pointers as Jones and Anthony Smith each hit four. Wilson finished with 15 points for Mount Carmel, and Samaratine Hill added 11.

The Cougars opened their BCL/MIAA A schedule against Saint Frances at home on Nov. 25. Mount Carmel won 62-49 as Wilson had 18 points. The Panthers got 44 points from the backcourt of Jones (23) and Fisk (21).