When Mark Amatucci returned to Calvert Hall last season, where he won a mythical national championship in the 1981-82 season, making the Cardinals a power again in the Catholic League was of greater importance.
Last night, Amatucci and the No. 5 Cardinals earned a trip back to an unfamiliar place -- the championship game of the Catholic League Tournament -- as they defeated St. Maria Goretti, 56-48, in a semifinal game at UMBC Fieldhouse.
The Cardinals (26-8) will meet top seed and No. 4 St. Frances -- a 55-48 winner over Mount St. Joseph in the other semifinal -- this afternoon at UMBC at 4, marking their first appearance in the championship game since 1986.
John McKay led all scorers with 21 points for Calvert Hall. Juan Dixon added 12. Phil Lane and Tim Robinson each led St. Maria Goretti (24-11) with 10 points each.
"I have my own style and philosophy, and everywhere I've been, we've won," said Amatucci, who led the Cardinals to three Catholic League titles in five seasons from 1979 to 1984, then went on to coaching stints at Loyola College and Anne Arundel Community College.
"I don't believe in rebuilding. Someone said that rebuilding is not really trying to adjust and work with what you have."
The Cardinals had to adjust in their third meeting of the season with St. Maria Goretti after losing twice during the regular season (83-71 on Jan. 13 and 71-62 on Feb. 6).
But Calvert Hall showed its resilience in avoiding a season sweep, withstanding two second-half rallies by St. Maria Goretti.
The latter came with 1:46 left and Calvert Hall holding a 50-37 lead. St. Maria Goretti scored seven straight within a 35-second span to close the margin to 50-44. The Cardinals held off Goretti, hitting six straight free throws in the closing moments.
"We're playing real well as a team right now," said McKay, a 6-foot-2 senior guard. "We have a lot of guys scoring in double figures, and defensively, we have stepped it up."
In the first half, McKay scored 17 points, including four three-pointers as the Cards led, 32-20, at the half.
The Cardinals were leading 38-27 with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter, but St. Maria Goretti went on a 9-0 run to close the margin to 38-36 after three periods.
"If we're going to be true champions, we had to get another shot at Goretti," said Amatucci. "I think that's why we were focused on this game because we beat a very good team."
St. Frances, which lost in the finals last season, earned a return trip, defeating Mount St. Joseph for the third time this season. But it wasn't as easy as the last meeting -- a 58-30 rout for the Panthers.
With St. Frances (21-4) leading, 41-30, with 7:02 remaining, Mount St. Joseph (15-12) scored eight straight to pull to within 41-38 with five minutes left.
Two free throws each by Mark Karcher and Alphonso Jones extended St. Frances' lead to 45-38 before the Gaels got back to within three at 48-45 with 1:36 left after a basket by Daniel Whye.
That would be the last field goal for the Gaels until Whye's dunk with 30 seconds left. The Panthers converted six of seven free throws in the final 1:15 to secure the victory.
"I'm pleased that we won, but we could've played much better," said St. Frances coach William Wells.
Karcher, the league's most valuable player during the regular season, led the Panthers with 12 points and 13 rebounds.