Mount Carmel has established itself as the metro area's top team largely due to its balance and deep roster.
Will Jenkins III, Frank Webb Jr., Brian Jefferson Jr. and Montez Mathis have been consistent all season and the Cougars have gotten vital points from David Erebor. No. 1 Mount Carmel used a variation of that formula to knock off No. 7 Mount Saint Joseph, 54-52, Wednesday night in Irvington and sweep the regular-season series.
Erebor was dominant, especially in the decisive fourth quarter, and finished with 18 points, while Jenkins had 13. Mount Carmel is riding a 17-game winning streak and sits atop the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A conference standings, just ahead of No. 4 Calvert Hall, which beat No. 6 John Carroll, 43-40, Wednesday night.
"We expected it to be a fight," Mount Carmel coach Tom Rose said. "I'm proud of my guys hanging in there. We have to be ready to play, because everyone is gunning for us."
Mathis had 12 points for the Cougars (24-6, 14-3 MIAA, 10-4 Baltimore Catholic League). Randy Miller made four 3-pointers and had 16 points, while Jalen Smith had 13 points for the Gaels (19-10, 11-6 MIAA, 6-8 BCL), which do not have a senior on their roster.
Mount Carmel won the first matchup, 50-41, by going on a 15-3 run in the third quarter to take control. This time, however, neither team could pull away.
The Cougars trailed by five at the break, but played tighter man-to-man defense in the third quarter to swing the momentum. A dunk by Jenkins tied the game at 32.
The team then traded baskets before a 3-pointer by Webb and a layup by Mathis provided Mount Carmel with a 44-41 lead heading into the final quarter, and it would never trail again. Erebor scored six points to provide a 52-46 lead and the Gaels could not make another run.
"We were relaxed the whole time," Erebor said. "We knew we had the game in hand."
Mount Saint Joseph got a glimmer of hope on a free throw by Nigel Jackson and a 3-pointer by Miller in the final minute. However, Mount Carmel was able to run out the clock.
It's been quite a turnaround for the Cougars, who fell to 7-6 and dropped out of The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 following a 73-47 loss against St. Frances on Dec. 20. They have not lost since.
"Defense — that's the biggest part," Jenkins said. "We feel as long as we can stop somebody, the offense is going to come around eventually. We are getting better every game."