John Carroll senior guard Kimbal Mackenzie and Calvert Hall senior guard Nico Clareth had special games Sunday in leading their teams to Monday night's Baltimore Catholic League championship.
Their semifinal round performances -- Mackenizie's coming in the Patriots' thrilling 69-68 double overtime win against St. Frances and Clareth's in the Cardinals' 82-58 win over Mount Carmel -- will be something they can each reflect on and cherish for years to come.
Mackenzie, who was named the BCL's Player of the Year earlier in the week, wasn't having his typical shooting success as the Patriots had to battle back from a 14-point second half deficit to send the game into overtime. After St. Frances took a 68-66 lead in the final seconds of the second OT, Mackenzie saved his best for the most important seconds.
His 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1.2 seconds left found nothing but net.
In his three years at John Carroll, the Patriots have never won a BCL or Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship. As a team captain, he wants to change that and gave is team an opportunity.
Clareth was excellent in the second half for Calvert Hall. The Cardinals enjoyed a 33-26 halftime lead, but they knew there would be no quit from Mount Carmel. Proof came the previous Sunday, when the Cardinals led by 17 points with five minutes left and had to fend off an improbable Mount Carmel rally to claim the MIAA A champioship with a 71-68 win.
This time, Clareth would make sure there would be no suspense at the end of the game. He scored 22 of his game-high 27 points in the second half and put the game away with two straight 3-pointers and an emphatic alley-oop jam for eight straight points early in the fourth quarter.
In Monday's championship game, set for 7 p.m at Towson's SECU Arena, one of these players will be able to add to his story. Will it be Mackenzie talking about the time he hit a dramatic 3-pointer to win the BCL semifinal game on the way to a championship?
Or will it be Clareth who has the final say, being able to savor the night he didn't miss much and then helped his Cardinals claim the BCL crown the next night?