BALTIMORE — We have the high school basketball game of the year going down on Wednesday night at Mount Saint Joseph. The Gaels host St. Maria Goretti in a contest that will go a long way in determining the Baltimore Catholic League regular season champion.
Mount Saint Joe is the number one team in area. They are 31-3 overall, 11-1 in the BCL and have won their last 15 games. Their latest victory, on Sunday over powerhouse St. Frances 82-64, gave Joe’s its first regular season sweep over the Panthers in four years and ended St. Frances' league-record run of five straight regular season BCL titles.
It also allowed Pat Clatchey’s team to control its own destiny. A win over Goretti (24-4, 12-1) and a win on Friday at Spalding gives MSJ its first outright regular season BCL championship since the 15-16 season.
That’s what it’s all about for the legendary coach now in his 31st season.
"The regular season champion, to me, it means a lot. Playoffs and tournaments, a lot of that is for teams who it gives them hope at the end of the year," said Clatchey. "For us, fortunately we play for championships at the end of the year. Tomorrow is a chance for our guys to take one step closer to hanging a banner."
"We have got to beat them because they beat us when they were at home," said senior guard Ace Valentine, who is committed to UMBC. "So, it’s really a bounce-back game to try to get our win back."
"It’s really a get-back game tomorrow. They are coming to our house. We are undefeated at our place during the season. So, we are trying to keep that up," added senior forward Amani Hansberry, who is committed to University of Illinois.
MSJ heads into Wednesday’s game nationally ranked. ESPN has them as the No. 23 team in the country.
Wednesday's game is set to tip-off at 6:00 p.m.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
