St. Frances connects from long range to deny Mount Carmel for BCL Tournament crown

Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s bid to become the first team to earn back-to-back Baltimore Catholic League Tournament and Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference basketball titles started quickly and promptly hit a snag against St. Francis Academy March 4 at Loyola University Maryland’s Reitz Arena.

With some sizzling long-range shooting (14-for-30) in the 55th edition of the BCL Tournament final, top-seeded St. Frances rallied from an early five-point deficit to grab a seven-point halftime advantage on the way to a 67-55 victory.

Mount Carmel senior Tristen Wilson is challenged by defenders from St. Frances Academy as he drives toward the basket in what resulted in a 67-55 loss. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Tournament Most Valuable Player Anthony Smith (17 points, 6 rebounds) and Carter Fisk (19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) were the most dangerous snipers from beyond the arc, combining to nail nine of 13 3-pointers to help lift the Panthers (36-7) to their first BCL Tournament title since 2024 and record-extending 12th overall crown.

“I thought St. Frances played incredibly well,” Mount Carmel coach Tony Martin said. “They shot the ball well. We changed defenses — we played about seven defenses. They shot the lights out. Give them credit.”

The second-seeded Cougars (30-11), who scored the last five points of the opening half and the first two markers of the third period, made a serious comeback to put the unprecedented BCL Tournament/MIAA repeat back in play. Mount Carmel had slipped past St. Frances in overtime eight day earlier in the MIAA title game after the Panthers won the BCL regular season title.

After trailing by as many as 13 points with just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter, Mount Carmel, paced by Tristen Wilson (11 points, 3 steals), Junior Mancho (11 points, 4 rebounds), Samartine Hill (6 points, 6 assists) and Antwan Williams (7 points), gave everything it had to draw even at 43-43 with 2:09 left in the third quarter.

“We were literally one or two plays away from being able to secure the game,” Martin added. “It was a war of attrition. We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

St. Frances Academy forward Brian McMahon, center, tries for a layup against Mount Carmel’s Junior Mancho March 4 at Loyola University Maryland. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

St. Frances responded with Jaleel Spears’ baseline three-pointer to regain a lead it would never relinquish.

“It was two great teams,” St. Frances coach Nick Myles said. “Anthony Smith showed why he was the MVP tonight. Things didn’t go our way last week (against Mount Carmel in the MIAA A Conference championship). But this is just a very special group. The way we shared the ball was really special all year.”

The Cougars kept it close after that, closing to within 56-53 on Hill’s fast-break finish with just over three minutes left. However, Fisk’s pull-up 3 from the side with 58 seconds to play preceded his perfect four-for-four from the line to secure the win.

Smith lamented that the Panthers “came up short” last week against Mount Carmel but were rewarded in the BCL final.

“We came together to make sure we got the win,” the Morgan State commit said, adding that the team was “locked in” after having a pregame meeting. “We came out shooting really good, and went right from there.”

2026 BCL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Nash Avery, Archbishop Spalding
BJ Ranson, Mount St. Joseph
Tristen Wilson, Mount Carmel
Junior Mancho, Mount Carmel
Carter Fisk, St. Frances
Terence Jones III, St. Frances

JOHN M. PLEVYAK MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD
Anthony Smith, St. Frances

To view more photographs of the BCL title game by Kevin J. Parks, click through the slideshow below: