Gaels

When Mount St. Joseph guard Kameron Williams let go of a desperation, midcourt shot with two seconds left in Sunday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship game, all that was left for the John Carroll players was to see if, this time, they had done enough. In the two regular-season meetings, it was Mount St. Joseph that came up with answers down the stretch both times - the last game a three-point decision not decided until overtime. This time it was John Carroll that made the big stops late, took care of the basketball and showed poise at the free-throw line.

MIAA A Conference championship No. 2 Mount St. Joseph (24-5) vs. No. 5 John Carroll (35-6) When: Sunday, 5:30 p.m. Where: RAC Arena, UMBC Coaches: Pat Clatchey, Mount St. Joseph; Tony Martin, John Carroll PLAYERS TO WATCH Mount St. Joseph: Kameron Williams, Jr., G; Phil Booth, So., G; Lavon Long, Jr., F; Phil Lawrence, Sr., F. John Carroll: Jarred Jones, Sr., F; Rodney...

No. 5 John Carroll and No. 10 St. Frances traded the lead six times in the second half before the Patriots emerged with a 52-47 victory in Friday night's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference semifinals. The Patriots advance to face No. 2 Mount St. Joseph - a 62-48 semifinal winner over Glenelg Country School - in Sunday's championship game at UMBC at 5:15 p.m. Trailing 24-17 in the waning seconds of the first half, John Carroll cut its deficit to four points when freshman Justin Jenifer nailed a three-pointer from 30 feet out just as the buzzer sounded.

The Loyola men's basketball team has been thinking about its rematch with Iona since losing to the Gaels in New Rochelle, N.Y., more than three weeks ago. Greyhounds coach Jimmy Patsos has been thinking about a game like Friday night's for a lot longer -- eight years. While an 87-81 victory at sold-out Reitz Arena helped erase the memories of an 11-point defeat to the Gaels -- and broke a tie for first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference -- it also put an uphill climb in perspective for Patsos, a former longtime assistant under Gary Williams at Maryland.

Fifth-ranked John Carroll used a mix of zone defenses to try to stifle No. 4 Mount St. Joseph and its explosive junior forward, Kameron Williams, in Friday night's crucial Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference and Baltimore Catholic League game. The strategy worked for three-and-a-half quarters, before the Gaels began to pick up the pressure and eventually took control. After forcing its third consecutive overtime game, Mount St. Joseph dictated play in the extra period and escaped with a 49-46 victory.

No. 4 Mount St. Joseph (22-5) at No. 5 John Carroll (23-5) When: Friday, 7 p.m. Coaches: Pat Clatchey, Mount St. Joseph; Tony Martin, John Carroll PLAYERS TO WATCH Mount St. Joseph: Kameron Williams, Jr., G; Phil Booth, So., G; Lavon Long, Jr., F. John Carroll: Jarred Jones, Sr., F; Rodney Elliott, Jr., G; Kamau Stokes, So., G. Outlook: With the regular season winding down, the...

St. Frances used a simple formula to earn some revenge against visiting Mount St. Joseph on Friday night - a little Daquan Cook and a lot of defense. Cook scored a game-high 25 points, and No. 6 St. Frances smothered No. 3 Mount St. Joseph with tough defense throughout as the Panthers led from start to finish en route to a 56-48 victory. The Gaels scored a 78-76 overtime victory when the two teams met earlier this season. But St. Frances (13-5 overall, 8-3 in Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, 8-2 in Baltimore Catholic League)

Mount St. Joseph guard Kameron Williams ignited the home crowd with consecutive behind-the-back dribbles before throwing a deft pass to Charlie Jones for an easy layup in the final seconds of the third quarter against John Carroll. Williams was a catalyst at both ends of the court, scoring 17 points and leading the fourth-ranked Gaels to a 69-57 victory over the fifth-ranked Patriots in front of an overflow crowd that included Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon. The victory goes a long way even at the midpoint of the season as the Gaels have taken control of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference and the Baltimore Catholic League.

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m. Coaches: Tony Martin, John Carroll; Pat Clatchey, Mount St. Joseph PLAYERS TO WATCH John Carroll: Jarred Jones, Sr., F; Mike Owona, Jr., C; Rodney Elliott, Jr., G. Mount St. Joseph: Kameron Williams, Jr., G; Phil Booth, So. G; Lavon Long, Jr., F. Outlook: The host Gaels opened the season with 12 straight wins before falling in the semifinal round of the competitive Leon...