Varsity boys basketball
Toles, Panthers make statement
Junior’s 29 points, hot shooting help St. Frances roll over MIAA foe
St. Frances junior guard Jordan Toles saw visiting Boys’ Latin playing zone defense and confidently put up a 3-pointer on the game’s opening possession.
He was squared up perfectly, and the shot proved it.
It was the first of eight made 3s for Toles and set the tone in Monday night’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference showdown. The No. 4 Panthers are always tough on defense and hit the boards hard, and when they have a shooting night like Monday, they are difficult to beat.
Toles finished with 29 points, senior forward Jason Murphy added 10 points and 11 rebounds and junior point guard Adrian Baldwin (nine points) had 10 assists to go over 500 in his career as the Panthers pulled away from the No. 1 Lakers for a 80-63 home win.
St. Frances improved to 25-4 overall and 10-1 in the MIAA A Red Division, while Boys’ Latin (24-4) fell to 10-1 in the Red Division.
Toles hit four 3s in the first quarter, closing the frame with a dunk in the final minute to give him 16 points. The last of his 3s came with three seconds left in the third quarter as the Panthers turned a three-point lead into a 66-53 advantage to pull away.
“It was just a confidence thing for me. I saw them sitting back in the zone daring me to shoot, so I just showed them that I can do both — I can drive the lane and also shoot the ball,” Toles said.
The Panthers came into the game with added motivation. Not only were the Lakers the No. 1 ranked team in the area and on a nine-game roll, but they also stunned the Panthers, 68-65, in last year’s MIAA A semifinals.
The Lakers, who lost senior guard Cameron Watts (torn meniscus) for the season last week, stayed close through the first half — Cameron Spencer finished with 23 points and Sam Grace hit four 3 pointers — but the Panthers pulled away with second-chance points and 3-pointers from Rajeir Jones and Toles to take a double-digit lead that grew in the fourth quarter.
“It was kind of like a get-back, revenge type of game, so we really took this game personally,” Toles said.
Boys’ Latin coach Cliff Rees was quick to give the Panthers their due.
“They shot lights out, and when they are shooting like that, it’s a problem for us,” he said. “It got us out of our game a little bit. They’re tough as it is, but when they are shooting like that — Jordan Toles shooting like that — they are going to be tough for anyone to beat.”
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