Baltimore Catholic League Tournament: Top four seeds advance to semifinals
Friday’s first round of the 2024 BCL Tournament, sponsored by Brooks Financial Group was a day for the top four seeds at Goucher College’s Decker SRC Arena.
Second seed St. Frances advanced to Saturday's semifinals with a 63-46 victory over No. 7 John Carroll. The Panthers led by only 35-29 at the half, but they pulled away in the second half to defeat the Patriots. St. Frances was led by Jordan Downs, who scored a game-high 23 points. Aidan Able paced John Carroll with 20 points.
Third seed Mount Carmel jumped out to a 20-9 first quarter lead on the way to a 63-46 victory over No. 6 seed Loyola. The Cougars were paced by Andrew Dixon and Tristen Wilson, who each scored 15 points, while the Dons were led by Mason Ellison with 19 points. Loyola senior J'Lin Brown reached the 1,000-career point mark in the contest.
Top-seeded Mount St. Joseph led by 20 at halftime and moved on to the semifinals with a 81-56 victory over No. 8 Calvert Hall. Jordan Brathwaite led the Gaels with 23 points, while Calvert Hall senior Brendan Johnson became the 15th player in BCLT history to score 30 or more points.
Fourth seed Archbishop Spalding held off fifth seed St. Maria Goretti, 82-79, in a thriller that was not decided until the final minute. The Cavaliers were led by Kam Carter with 25 points, while Goretti was paced by Kegan Proctor's 19 points. This was the final game for Goretti after 40 years in the BCL. School officials announced earlier this year that the Hagerstown school would close for good at the conclusion of the current academic year.
Members of the St. Maria Goretti boys basketball team shake hands with their counterparts from Archbishop Spalding after the Gaels dropped an 82-79 decision to the Cavaliers in the opening round of the 2024 Baltimore Catholic League basketball tournament. The loss will stand as the final game in the Goretti's storied basketball history as the school will close its doors for good at the end of the current academic year.
Photo by Derek Toney
Saturday's semifinals will No. 4 seed Archbishop Spalding against No. 1 seed Mount St. Joseph at 6 pm, while No. 3 seed Mount Carmel takes on No. 2 seed St. Frances at 8 pm.
In the first game Saturday, Archbishop Spalding makes its 11th trip to the semifinals (6-4) and the first since 2022. Mount St. Joseph extends its BCL record of semifinal appearances with the Gaels’ 41st (19-21) and fourth straight. This will be the 13th BCLT meeting between the schools, and the Gaels are 10-2 against the Cavaliers. MSJ swept Spalding in the two regular-season meetings, and the Gaels defeated the Cavs in the MIAA A Conference final 57-52 on Feb. 24 at UMBC.
In Saturday's second game, Mount Carmel makes its seventh appearance in the semifinals (1-5), and the Cougars' second-consecutive trip to the BCL's final four. St. Frances makes its 28th semifinal appearance (15-12) and the Panthers are in the semifinals for the 11th straight tourney. This will be the sixth BCLT meeting between the schools, and the Panthers are 5-1 vs. the Cougars. Mount Carmel swept St. Frances in the two regular-season meetings - the only BCL team to do so this season.
Sunday, the semifinal winners will play for the BCLT title at 3 pm.
-- Report courtesy of Chris Pika of BCLBasketball.com
