Basketball
Nolan, Jones lead Mount Carmel past McDonogh
They combine for 31 points in 56-53 comeback victory;
No. 3 Perry Hall wins
The Mount Carmel boys basketball team has a duo that's emerging at just the right time with the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference playoffs fast approaching.
Senior guard Terry Nolan Jr. and junior forward Jordan Jones showed just that in the second half of the No. 5 Cougars' important league game at No. 11 McDonogh on Wednesday.
Trailing by 10 at halftime, they took turns taking over stretches of the second half to help Mount Carmel pull out a 56-53 win over the Eagles to take over first place in the league's Red Division.
Jones scored eight of his team-high 16 points in the third quarter to get the Cougars close. Nolan pushed them over the top with 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Mount Carmel improved to 21-7 overall and 10-4 in the Red, while McDonogh is now 17-9 and 10-5. Next week, the Cougars close out the regular season with home games against Loyola Blakefield and Archbishop Spalding, while the Eagles have one game remaining at St. Frances.
In foul trouble during the first half and looking more to pass to teammates, Nolan gave the Cougars their first lead with a driving layup to make it 44-42 with 5:16 remaining in the game. After the Eagles responded with consecutive 3-pointers from junior Noah Locke (game-high 19 points) to go back up by four, Nolan converted a three-point play and then an emphatic dunk to give the Cougars the lead for good at 49-48 with 3:06 to play.
Nolan added an assist on a basket from Jones and then made five free throws in the final 35 seconds. McDonogh senior guard Jaedon Willis missed a half-court try to potentially tie the game at the buzzer.
“My team needed me big, needed me to step up and be a leader, and that's what I did,” Nolan said. “We knew we were going to make our run, we just didn't know when. We just had to stay with it and be consistent and trust our coaches because we knew it would come.”
Willis came out fast with seven first-quarter points as the Eagles built a 9-0 lead. He later hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half to give them their biggest lead, 31-20.
At halftime, Mount Carmel coach Hakim Hibbert reminded his team how much time was left to come back — encouraging them to get stops, grab rebounds and go from there. Nolan found Jones four times for baskets in the second-half comeback. Mekhi Howard converted a big four-point play at the start of the fourth quarter before Nolan took over.
“Terry has been a phenomenal leader for us the whole year, and he's really been stepping up in key situations — leading the guys on and off the court,” Hibbert said. “We're glad to have Terry Nolan this season.”
McDonogh coach TJ Jordan looked at his team's defense in the third quarter as the turning point. After holding the Cougars to 21 points in the first half, McDonogh struggled to guard Jones after the break.
Meanwhile, Damian Chong-Qui, McDonogh's senior guard and team leader, finished without a point.
Stashia Daniels (15 points), Jameila Barrett (14) and Aakilah Barrett (10) also scored in double figures for Catonsville.
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