As one of the area’s finest pure outside shooters, Glenelg Country senior guard Pat Curtin is rarely off the mark. But there are special nights when he’s that much more locked in when shooting the basketball.
Wednesday at John Carroll was one of those nights.
Finishing with 11 3-pointers — including six in the first quarter — and 36 points in all, Curtin maintained a torrid pace that the No. 5 Patriots couldn’t quite match as No. 7 Glenelg Country claimed a 65-61 win in Bel Air.
“When I get hot like that, I know I got to shoot the 3 every time I get the ball,” said Curtin, an All-Metro second team selection as a junior.
Asked about what it feels like when he’s in that special shooting place, he replied: “It’s called the flow state. You don’t have a conscience and when you catch it and put it up, it just feels like the same shot every time.”
Curtin, who also made a special contribution on defense by taking four charging calls, hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring for his team in each of the game’s four quarters.
In the first quarter, the Patriots started fast to claim an 8-0 lead before Curtin got going. His first 3 came from the left corner with 5:55 to play and he added his second 14 seconds later. With 4:07 to play, his third gave the visitors their first lead at 10-8.
The Dragons enjoyed double-digit leads in each of the next three quarters, with a 3 from Donavan Marshburn giving them their biggest advantage at 48-34 with 6:22 left in the third quarter. But John Carroll, despite missing two key contributors to injury and saddled with foul trouble, made a valiant fourth-quarter push that fell just short.
After a basket and two free throws from John Carroll forward Theartis Battle (team-high 24 points) cut the lead to 62-54 with 2:53 left, the Patriots got another defensive stop to get the ball back when Curtin planted his feet down low and got the charge call.
“When your best player takes four charges, you can’t ask for anything more,” Glenelg Country coach Garrett O’Donnell said. “I don’t care as much about the [points]. I care about the effort and the sacrifice he makes for his teammates. And win or lose, that’s what coaching is all about.”
After the referee’s call was made, Curtin was exuberant getting off the floor.
“To be a complete leader on the team, I know I have to set the example on the defensive end and every aspect of the game. So I just try to do my best in every aspect of the game and every play I try to focus on that moment,” he said.
The Dragons had work left to secure the win. Battle scored another basket with 1:58 to play, and after more defensive stops from both teams, James Westervelt hit a 3 for the Patriots to cut the lead to 62-59 with 29 seconds to play. Glenelg Country guard Ronald Alford secured the win when he pushed the lead to 64-59 with 11 seconds left.
John Carroll got two free throws with less than one second left before Curtin closed out the scoring with a free throw after the Patriots fouled immediately.
Jalen Baker added nine points and Marshburn had seven for the winners, while Aidan Abel reached double figures with 11 for John Carroll.
“I’m really proud of my guys. [Glenelg Country] is a good team and my biggest thing with our guys is staying together,” John Carroll coach Seth Goldberg said. “I think we had a lot of adversity in that game and we found our way, shared the ball and did what we wanted to do. But the ball just didn’t go in for us tonight. That’s the reality.”
Both teams return to action on Friday with road games. Glenelg Country travels to Boys’ Latin with game time set for 5 p.m., and John Carroll goes to Archbishop Spalding at 7.
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GC — 23-17-14-11 — 65
JC — 17-17-10-17 — 61
GC — Curtin 36, Alford 5, Jok 3, Baker 9, Marshburn 7, Harris 2, Leggett 3
JC — Abel 11, Chinnia-Falline 8, Battle 24, Smith 3, Westervelt 5, Lee 7, Herr 3