Box Score OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- What amounted to be a tightly contested matchup throughout, Stevenson men's basketball sent a last-second halfcourt heave that missed the mark in a 57-55 setback to Catholic on Saturday afternoon at Owings Mills Gymnasium.
Stevenson (0-1) led at the halftime break, but a veteran Catholic (1-0) squad battled right back, using a big second half push to build a lead it would not relinquish. The Cardinal lead swelled to seven in the second frame, erasing an 11-point edge for Stevenson about midway through the first half.
Khalil Richard paced Stevenson with 10 points and three assists, while Merlon Devine added nine points with four rebounds. Bo Wesley posted three of the Mustangs' eight blocks on the afternoon.
- Stevenson scored the first six points of the contest, pushing the lead to 10-2 with a Cameron Sapienza lay-in at the 14:38 mark of the opening half.
- Jalen Jacox canned a triple off a feed from Devine, prompting a Catholic timeout at 12:27.
- The Cardinals began chipping into the deficit, slicing it to 17-13 off a Jesse Hafemeister layup, all part of a 9-0 run.
- Catholic moved ahead, 24-22, following the run that kept Stevenson off the board for nearly five minutes of game action.
- Cameron Smith converted a much-needed triple for the Mustangs, pushing the hosts right back in front at 25-24. Richard later stepped into a jumper for a 30-26 Stevenson advantage.
- Tommy Kelly handed the advantage back to Catholic with a three, the first bucket of the second half, at 17:37.
- Jake Timby buried a three before Kelly made a lay-in on the next trip up the floor as part of a quick 8-0 spurt.
- Devine brought Stevenson to within five at 42-38 with a three-pointer. Nate Arrington converted with a lay-in as Stevenson strung together some defensive stops, but the Cardinals remained in front with a slim lead.
- Ronald Ayers brought the Mustangs ahead by one at 49-48 with an athletic finish. Neither side could pull away as Ethan Jones made a pair of free throws for a 51-50 lead.
- Catholic got some timely stops when it needed, adding six more points to preserve the win.
- Team stats were nearly even throughout the contest. Stevenson held a 29-15 edge in bench points, mixing and matching its lineup without some key regulars.
- Kelly had 11 points for the Cardinals in the opening half, finishing with 19 points and three assists. Hafemeister added 16 points for Catholic.
- Stevenson was balanced offensively with six players posting at least five points.
- Neither side was particularly strong from beyond the arc, converting just seven combined triples on the afternoon.
- Nate Arrington stepped up for the Mustangs in the second half with seven points and a pair of rebounds.
- Stevenson: The Mustangs are back in action on Friday, November 12, capping day one of the Stevenson Tip-Off Tournament against Clarks Summit at 8:00 PM.
- Catholic: The Cardinals visit Messiah on Tuesday, November 9 at 7:30 PM.
