Five Takeaways: St. Frances vs Mount St. Joe (MIAA A Conference Championship)
Last night at APGFCU Arena on the campus of Harford Community College, two juggernauts of the Baltimore area battled once again. It was a rematch of last year’s championship game between St. Frances and Mount St. Jose. The Panthers surged…
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Continue ReadingLast night at APGFCU Arena on the campus of Harford Community College, two juggernauts of the Baltimore area battled once again. It was a rematch of last year’s championship game between St. Frances and Mount St. Jose. The Panthers surged to a win in last year’s bout, but this year it was the Gaels that had control from start to finish and capped off their MIAA season with a 76-63 win.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
Edokpayi’s dominant first half
Jason Edokpayi was a man on a mission in the first 16 minutes of play. The Fairfield commit scored 18 of his 21 points in the first two quarters. For the first 12 of those minutes, it didn’t seem possible that Edokpayi could miss. Anything he threw up was going through the net. The 6-foot-7 forward was finishing everything around the basket whether or not he was draped over by a St. Frances defender. As the Gaels’ first half onslaught was at its peak when Edokpayi stepped out for a three four-feet beyond the arc and buried it. He easily had over a dozen rebounds and played a monumental role in Mount St. Joe pulling this game out.
Ace Baldwin takes control
Baldwin doesn’t prefer taking over until the fourth quarter. We’ve witnessed multiple times this season the VCU commit bring the Panthers from being down late in the fourth with heroic performances. However in the second quarter with under six minutes left, his team trailed 26-9 and Baldwin had no choice but to flip the switch. He scored 12 points in the final five minutes alone, eight of which came solely by him to end the half. When Baldwin locks in, there’s nobody that can guard him one-on-one. He finished with a game-high 25 points and at times was the only effective player for St. Frances.
Mount St. Joe’s trio of guards carry the second half
Following Edokpayi’s dominant first half, St. Frances made adjustments to focus defensively on stopping him. It called for other players to step up and in this case it was 2020 Tyler Brelsford, 2021 Ausar Crawley and 2021 D’Angelo Stines. Stines went on a personal run in the third quarter that helped fend off St. Frances when they gained confidence. Stines scored 11 of his 16 points in the third quarter that included a couple of lay ups on the break, a catch-and-shoot three and two mid-range jumpers. Crawley was steady throughout, but scored eight of his 16 points in the last two quarters by way of strong takes and free-throws. Brelsford came up big in the fourth, scoring eight of his 16 and made key free-throws to calm any hope St. Frances had in mounting a comeback.
St. Frances’ struggles
All season long, the Panthers have leaned heavily on South Alabama commit Jamal West as a scoring presence, but in the first two quarters he was a non-factor. Edokpayi’s length was giving West issues finishing around the rim. He eventually got going in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points by way of tip-backs and free-throws. West, 2021 Julian Reese, 2021 Khyrie Staten and 2021 Byron Ireland combined for 30 points alongside Baldwin’s 25. Throughout the season, at least one of those players other than Baldwin would be finishing around the 20-point mark. Mount St. Joe exceeded in limited second chance opportunities for St. Frances, which is another calling card that they’ve hung their hat on this season.
These two teams could meet again
With the MIAA season over, the BCL Tournament tips off this Wednesday, followed by the semifinal on Friday and the championship Sunday. St. Frances holds the top seed while the Gaels sit no. 2. There’s a great chance these two meet in the championship to battle once again. The level of basketball that was showcased last night was truly a pleasure to watch. Seeing these two juggernauts bump heads once again in a championship setting would certainly be worth admission price.