Ronald Scott scored a game-high 18 points and Jarred Jones added 16, lifting No. 5 John Carroll past Archbishop Spalding, 69-63, in a MIAA A/Baltimore Catholic League tilt in Severn Tuesday evening. Erik Fisher tied Scott for game-high honors with 18 for Spalding, and Ryan Flynn added 13.
Central Connecticut State-bound guard Malcolm McMillian finished 13 for the Patriots who won their area-best 17th out of 18 decisions. The Bel Air school tuned up for the MIAA A/BCL play, finishing third at the Stop DWI Holiday Classic in Binghamton, N.Y. last week.
Despite shooting a season-low 34-percent from the field, John Carroll edged New Rochelle (N.Y.), 54-51, in the opening round Dec. 28 as Jarred Jones led the way with 18 points, including a three-pointer with about a minute remaining in regulation, breaking a 49-49 deadlock. The game featured 17 lead changes and 11 ties.
Scott added 15 points and three rebounds while McMillian finished with 10 points and a season-high seven rebounds. The Patriots advanced to a Dec. 29 semifinal match with Imhotep Charter School (PA).
The defending Class 2A Pennsylvania state champs, boasting three Division I recruits, handed John Carroll its first loss, 55-51. Scott finished with 17 points and a career-high nine rebounds, and McMillian, hampered by four fouls, had 14 points and six rebounds. John Carroll led by four points after intermission after holding the Philadelphia school to four points before rallying.
In the third place contest, John Carroll rallied in the final two minutes for a 49-48 victory over New York’s Thomas Jefferson. McMillian scored on a transition layup on the final play as the Patriots wiped out a 48-40 deficit with 1:56 remaining. Jones had 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots and Scott added 11 points and six rebounds.
Friday night at home, John Carroll will get its first serious challenge locally as unbeaten and No. 1 St. Frances Academy visits. The Patriots have yet to beat the Panthers in five games since joining the MIAA A in the 2007-08 campaign.
