Photo by Cody Tomer St. Michaels’ Gage Michael attempts to dribble past Corpus Christi’s J.C. Maxwell during Wednesday’s Parochial League title game.
WHEELING — St. Michaels Middle School and Corpus Christi Middle School both showed that they had the heart of champions, but only one team could be crowned Parochial League champions at the end of the night.
That team was Corpus Christi, which overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off St. Michaels, 39-34, and claim the Parochial League title on Wednesday at St. Michaels Middle School.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Corpus Christi coach Kevin Heller said. “It was the first time all year we have been in that position. A lot didn’t go our way and we still found a way to win. That is a credit to our guys.”
The top scorer was Corpus Christi’s J.C. Maxwell, who delivered 23 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter when it mattered most.
“We are very pumped,” Maxwell said. “We wanted to win this and not come back for a third game (today).
“We were a little discouraged when we went down but we kept our composure and got some turnovers and came away with the win.”
St. Michaels had a 32-23 advantage early in the fourth when Corpus Christi delivered a crucial 10-0 run to take a narrow 33-32 lead with 1:47 to play as the crowd roared with every dribble and every basket.
St. Michaels regained the lead on its next possession when David Benson got in position under the basket and cashed in with two points.
The Crusaders came away empty handed on their next possession, but Jordan Waterhouse followed with the play of the game when he intercepted a St. Michaels pass and took it to the bucket for two and the 35-34 lead with just a minute showing on the clock.
Maxwell delivered the dagger when he also stole a pass and finished with a layup to give the Crusaders a 37-34 edge that they would not lose.
“We said during a timeout with four minutes to go that we aren’t going to win this game with offense,” Heller said. “We had to get a stop and a rebound, then get the next stop and the next rebound. Our guys stayed with it, stayed composed and when it came time, they buckled down and did what they were supposed to do.
“We practice hard and challenge each other at practice to prepare for this type of environment and situation and they didn’t panic.”
Corpus Christi held a 10-5 edge early in the second quarter, but the Mustangs hung tight and kept it close until their leader stepped up in the third quarter.
Gage Michael, had been scoreless for the first half of action until he caught fire when he collected a steal and quick 3-pointer to spark his squad. He then delivered another trey in the third and finished the frame with eight points to give the Mustangs a 30-23 lead going into the fourth.
“I couldn’t get by them in the first half but I just kept playing hard,” Michael said. “We knew we could comeback.”
Michael paced the Mustangs with 10 points.
“Gage’s leadership and his hustle, along with the team’s work ethic is why we were able to battle back and stay in this game,” St. Michaels coach Larry Blair said. “All of our guys worked hard and we have a very unselfish team.”
Vinny High supplied eight points for Corpus Christi, while teammates Beau Heller and Waterhouse each turned in four points.
Benson tallied eight points for St. Michaels, Ryan Prager provided seven, Andrew Johnson delivered five and Mason Palmer chipped in with four.