By Jon Buzby
MaxPreps.com
Lake Clifton went into the locker room at halftime of the Baltimore City League title game leading by just two points. But Laker coach Herman Harried clearly got his message across about the importance of defensive pressure during the break, as his team limited Digital Harbor to just five second-half points on their way to a convincing 69-30 victory and second consecutive city title.
Lake Clifton, leading 27-25 at the half, limited the Rams to just one field goal the entire second half while shooting a remarkable 75 percent from the field to run away with the city title.
Junior Will Barton led all scorers with a game-high 21 points and senior Cleveland Melvin chipped in with 19 for the Lakers.
Digital Harbor’s lone second-half field goal came with just over five minutes remaining in the game when senior guard George Jackson (14 points) scored on a meaningless layup.
After earning a first-round bye, Lake Clifton (27-0) will play Mergenthaler in the second round of the Maryland Athletic Association 3A boys basketball tournament.
Mergenthaler advanced by defeating Franklin, 56-40, in opening round action on Saturday.
Digital Harbor (18-5) received a first-round bye in the 1A division and will square off against Forest Park in round two. Forest Park advanced with a 58-47 win over Western STES.
More Boys Basketball: St. Frances wins Baltimore Catholic League Tournament
With the area’s largest snowstorm in recent years looming on the horizon, St. Frances Academy came into Sunday afternoon’s Baltimore Catholic League Championship game looking to plow through its opponent and add another accomplishment to its 2009 resume.
The Panthers, who advanced to the finals after defeating Mount St. Joseph in overtime on Friday night, had already gone undefeated to capture the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C Division title and ran the table in BCL play (14-0).
The Dons proved to be a much more formidable opponent than expected, and it wasn’t until the waning seconds of the game when Loyola guard Matt Rum’s desperation 3-pointer fell short, that the Panthers secured a 44-41 win and could finally clear space in their trophy case for another piece of hardware.
Fresh off his game-winning shot in Friday’s semifinals, senior forward Terrell Vinson showed his veteran leadership by calmly converting three of four free throws in the final 10 seconds of the game to seal the win for St. Frances. Vinson finished with a game-high 20 points and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
"That's what it is – I have to do whatever it takes to help the team win. Sometimes your shot might not be falling, so you have to get somebody else open. Sometimes you may have to get a block or take a charge – anything to win," Vinson told the Baltimore Sun.
Junior guard Dante Holmes scored 14 points, including three 3-pointers in the first quarter, to get the Panthers off to a quick start on the offensive end of the court. Holmes, along with Vinson and sophomore guard R.J. Williams, were named to the all-tournament team.
For Loyola, senior forward Terence Garvin scored 12 points and fellow senior forward Brandon Floyd chipped in with 10 to keep the Dons close throughout.
Loyola (19-13), a 57-51 upset winner over Calvert Hall on Friday night, lost to St. Frances in last weekend’s MIAA C semifinals and was handily defeated by the Panthers twice during the regular season.
"Our guys were tremendous – they gave it all they had," Loyola coach Josh Davalli told the Baltimore Sun. "Really, for the last three games, they've done that. Every possession they played with everything they had, and that's what we wanted. And we had a chance. We were right there at the end, so I'm very, very proud of the entire team."
And just as the snowflakes began to fall and another Catholic League season came to an end, St. Frances (31-3) managed to find the perfect way to write the final chapter of their fairytale-like season – with a league-record seventh City League championship.
Girls Basketball: Western flies by Dunbar to win city title
Western turned in a defensive gem, limiting Dunbar to just 15 total points on its way to a 51-15 victory in the Baltimore City League title game.
Akeema Richards scored a game-high 12 points and Keirah Hicks added 10 for the Doves, who completed their fourth consecutive perfect season in the City League.
Western received a first-round bye in the 3A tournament and will play Milford Mill in round two. Milford Mill scored a 54-20 win over Towson in the opening round.
Dunbar also received a first-round bye and will face Forest Park, who defeated Reginald Lewis, 32-29, in its 1A first-round game.
Send Jon Buzby e-mail at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.