Boys Basketball: John Carroll Wins First BCL Title, Sweeps St. Frances

BALTIMORE—It must have felt a little like the movie “Groundhog Day” when John Carroll took the floor Tuesday night to play St. Frances Academy for the Baltimore Catholic League tournament championship. It was the fourth matchup between the teams in less than two months.

Led by seniors Malcolm McMillan and Ronald Scott, John Carroll scored the first six points and never trailed in a 57-45 win at Reitz Arena on the campus of Loyola University.

“We had the Xs and Os down,” Patriots coach Tony Martin said. “It was on our minds. We knew we needed to exceed our level of effort one more time. That’s what we talked about.”

The win came just nine days after the for their first-ever .

But this one might have been the sweetest of the four wins for Martin, whose team played in the league for the first time this year. St. Frances has won seven BCL tournament titles, more than any school in the 40-year history of the league.

“It’s definitely an honor,” Martin said. “We’ve petitioned to be in this league for the last four years. It’s surreal.”

Scott once again led the way, scoring 19 points—including 10 consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter—to seal the victory.

“I worked extra hard on my free throws before the game,” he said. “We had the lead and slowed it down. I was looking to attack.”

McMillan added 12 points and electrified the 1,000 spectators with a soaring dunk at the end of the first half off an alley-oop from Scott. He brought the house down again in the third with a textbook spin move to convert a running one-handed layup after St. Frances had cut the lead to three.

“It’s one of my favorite moves,” McMillan said. “I’ve practiced it since I was 10 years old.”

McMillan earned Tournament MVP honors after being selected last week, along with R.J. Williams of St. Frances, as Catholic League Player of the Year.

A one-man show for most of the game, Williams led all Panthers with 14 points and furiously tried to rally his team down the stretch without much support. 

Intense full-court pressure from St. Frances to start the second half cut the Patriot lead to three, 29-26, but the Panthers picked up four fouls in the process and could not get any closer.

John Carroll played exceptional post defense. Jarred Jones along with Christian and Michael Owona neutralized Panther star Greg Lewis, who had just seven points.

“We knew we needed to be physical down low with Lewis,” Martin said. “I’m really proud of these guys. “We’re two stops and two scores from going 34-0.”

At 32-2, the Patriots are headed to the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament at Frostburg State University in mid-March.

“We’re still hungry,” McMillan said. “We have unfinished business to tend to.”