The journey to Sunday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship game didn't go as smoothly as planned for Calvert Hall, which was picked as the team to beat at the start of the basketball season.
But the No. 3 Cardinals overcame their injuries, cleared all obstacles and came to UMBC's RAC Arena playing their best basketball. That's what it took to get past No. 1 Mount Carmel, the area's surprise team that took its own impressive path to the big game and showed it belonged.
Relying on their balance and experience, the Cardinals broke open a close game with a strong third quarter and then held off a furious rally from the Cougars to claim a thrilling 71-68 win.
Calvert Hall had all five starters reach double figures, with junior forward Justin Gorham leading the team with 16 points. Senior point guard Reggie Rouse, usually the Cardinals' glue and effective distributor, attacked the basket to score 12 of his 14 points in the decisive second half.
The Cardinals, who led 28-27 at halftime, built a 65-48 lead with less than five minutes to play before the Cougars rallied to close within 71-68 in the final seconds.
Mount Carmel had the ball with five seconds left when sophomore guard Terry Nolan's shot from the baseline rimmed out. The Cardinals grabbed the rebound and got the ball forward as time ran out.
With the win, Calvert Hall captured its second league title (its first came in the 1995-96 season, the league's first) and improved to 26-5, while Mount Carmel (26-7) had its 19-game winning streak end.
"We've been together for awhile," said Rouse, rattling off the names of senior teammates Drew Edwards, Evan Phoenix, Nico Clareth, T.J. Duckett and junior Gorham. "I think we had a little more experience than those guys, and I think that's what kind of helped us out. I love these guys — they're my family."
The Cardinals showed signs of pulling away with a strong third quarter that featured balanced scoring and some key stops on defense.
Gorham, who also had 11 rebounds, took an inside feed from Edwards to give them a 51-40 lead with 37 seconds left. But the Cougars showed they wouldn't back down, getting a 3-pointer from freshman guard Montez Mathis (game-high 18 points) to close within 53-45 at the end of the quarter.
The Cougars were hit with more adversity in the opening minute of the fourth quarter when a skirmish took place under their basket. Players from both teams left the bench and, after an extended delay with the referees sorting out the situation, the Cougars were hit with the extra technical foul and senior guard Frank Webb Jr. (12 points) was ejected from the game.
Behind Rouse, who scored on consecutive drives, and baskets from Gorham and Phoenix, the Cardinals appeared to put the game away with the 65-48 lead.
But the Cougars, who rallied impressively in their semifinal win over St. Frances, kept playing hard, made some big shots and got some key timely defensive plays to put themselves in position to tie the game on their last possession.
Nolan (16 points) scored Mount Carmel's final eight points to bring the Cougars back, but he couldn't hit the final shot to get them closer. It appeared his hurried last try would have counted as a two-point shot with time winding down. Will Jenkins III also played a big role in the Cougars' fourth-quarter rally, scoring six of his 14 points in the run.
"Obviously we're not happy with the result, but they played hard to the end," Mount Carmel coach Tom Rose said. "We were down, we battled, everything that happened, I'm proud of them.".
With Rouse out of the lineup two different times with knee injuries and Clareth also missing time with a concussion and other injuries, the Cardinals — who began the season as the area's No. 1 ranked team — had to grind through a number of tough stretches. They found a way, and will next challenge for the Baltimore Catholic League title while riding a nine-game winning streak.
"We went through a lot this season," Edwards said. "We had the huge expectations at the beginning of the year and then so many injuries. … At the end of the season, we got healthy and came back to prove we were the best team."
twitter.com/GlennGrahamSun
Boys basketball
MIAA A final
(at UMBC)
3 Calvert Hall 71, 1 Mount Carmel 68
CH – Edwards 11, Phoenix 15, Clareth 12, Gorham 16, Rouse 14, Bihar 3. Totals: 26 16-28 71
MC -- Jenkins III 14, Webb Jr. 12, Jeffferson Jr. 4, Erebor 4, Mathis 18, Nolan Jr. 16. Totals: 26 8-17 68
Half: CH, 28-27