After putting up 108 points in a comfortable win against Archbishop Curley on Tuesday, things didn't come so easily for the Boys' Latin basketball team against visiting St. Vincent Pallotti on Wednesday.
With plenty on the line for the No. 13 Lakers — it was Senior Night and they had a chance to clinch the top seed in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference playoffs — Boys' Latin shrugged off a slow start, settled in during the second quarter and executed just enough at both ends in the closing minutes to beat the Panthers, 55-52.
Senior guard Blair Brooks, coming off a career-high 35 points against Curley, stayed hot from outside and scored 21 points. Fellow senior guard Patrick Spencer (13 points) made a pivotal 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and had a midcourt steal to thwart any desperation heave from Pallotti in the final seconds.
Boys Latin (22-5, 11-1) has wrapped up first place in the Black division and the top overall seed. Pallotti (20-6, 9-3) stays in second place with one game remaining before next week's playoffs.
While this win wasn't as convincing as the teams' first meeting — when Boys' Latin beat Pallotti, 80-65, on Jan. 9 — the Lakers are pleased to have a first-round bye and home court advantage in the conference semifinals.
"It's huge — very important to us," Boys' Latin coach Cliff Rees said. "I think it's very important for us to get a bye in that first round and then have the home court advantage in the semifinals is very important. You look at the draw coming up — I know there's a couple questionable spots still in the playoffs [as far as] who's going to get them — it's all tough. So it's going to be a tough semifinal game, regardless who it is."
The Panthers raced out to a 12-2 lead and, with the Lakers failing to score until there was 4:20 to play in the first quarter. Brooks led them back in the second quarter with nine points and consecutive baskets from 6-foot-7 junior Kodye Pugh (10 points) midway through the frame helped get the Lakers within one, 23-22, at the half.
The Panthers, committed to containing Pugh inside, left Brooks and Spencer open just enough to allow them 3-point looks they made good on just enough in the second half.
Boys' Latin led, 43-42, early in the fourth quarter when Brooks hit two 3-pointers to push the lead to 49-44 with 3:44 to play. After Pallotti's Harly Owens (12 points) made two free throws to cut the lead to 49-46 with 2:30 left, the Panthers appeared to have a key stop with the 35-second shot clock winding down — but Spencer made a hurried 3-pointer from the top of the key to push the Lakers advantage to 52-46.
The Lakers made just 3 of 7 free-throw attempts in the closing minute, but an alert play by Spencer in the final seconds secured the win. With the lead at 55-52, he missed two free throws with three seconds left, but anticipated and grabbed a Panthers' outlet pass at midcourt. The buzzer sounded shortly thereafter.
"Patrick's just a gamer," Rees said. "I just feel like, with him ,everything is just always under control. He's not always going to make his shot … but when he's got to make a play, he makes the play. He's a great kid with a great group and he's doing a heckuva job leading them through all this."
Philip Alexander led Pallotti with 16 points.
"I'm proud of our effort," Panthers coach Dennis Murphy said. "There are no moral victories, but if they are the best team, which they are by record, and we lose by three at their place, I'm confident that we can play with them."