St. Mary’s boys basketball defeats Gerstell, 48-47, with last-second stop
With St. Mary’s boys basketball up by only one point and 1.9 seconds left, everyone in the gym knew Gerstell coach Jeff Cheevers was going to try to get the ball to his big man, Colin Toms, the senior who was in the midst of an impressive 21-point, nine-rebound night.
Not only did Saints coach Trey Quinn know, but he had his own big man to match up with Toms: James DiBitetto. To Quinn’s delight, the sophomore delivered with the season hanging in the balance.
“[Toms is] a good player,” DiBitetto, who finished with a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, said. “I knew I had to get my hands up and try to find the ball. Luckily, I tipped it.”
DiBitetto stuck to Toms like glue on the game’s final possession, knocking the inbound pass away and closing the door on the Falcons’ season as the remaining time quickly ran off the clock.
Seconds later, the Saints rejoiced as DiBitetto’s active hands sealed the 48-47 win Tuesday night, punching the team’s ticket to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference semifinals.
“It literally came down to the last second; it could have gone either way,” Quinn said. “I’m proud of how we competed, and thankfully, we squeaked one out.”
The Saints (16-13) advance to play rival and top-seeded Severn. Gerstell’s season ends at 17-10.
With the two bigs engaged in a heavyweight showdown in the paint from the opening tip, Tyler Tillman made the difference early for the Saints, doing the little things on both ends of the floor.
“My role on this team is to do everything,” Tillman, who finished with 12 points, said. “It’s not about how many points I score, how many rebounds I get, or any stats. I just want to win.”
With Tillman and DiBitetto leading the charge, the Saints threatened to put the game away early. After Jacob Ayree’s half-court buzzer-beater tied the game at the end of the first quarter, the Saints used that momentum to go on a run, threatening to extend the lead to double digits.
“I was telling my guys to keep calm and collected,” Tillman, the lone senior on the roster said. “Keep playing hard and we got this.”
The Falcons had a different plan as Toms and his crew fought for a return to the conference title game. The guard tandem of Grant Ray and Victor Grey got hot as the pair took turns attacking DiBitetto with aggressive drives to the rim.
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The Falcons finished the first half on a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead and momentum into halftime.
“We had guys buy into the things we’ve been trying to do all season,” Cheevers said. “I’m proud of how they came together and the improvements guys made.”
With Tillman on the ground, diving for a loose ball and making a play to kick-start the third quarter, the senior set the tone, but wasn’t the only Saint to do what was needed.
The Saints’ offense dominated the third quarter. Thanks in part to Tillman and DiBitetto’s offensive rebounding efforts, Ayree and Jovanni Hall came alive, making shots and using that energy on the defensive end as well, smothering the Falcons, who failed to consistently get good looks in the half-court.
“We went into halftime excited, thinking that we were getting control of the game,” Cheevers said. “But the thing about St. Mary’s is they’re relentless. They kept attacking and chipping away.”
Quinn deployed Hall to attack ball handlers all day, bringing Chase Collier off the bench to provide equally relentless on-ball defense that kept the Falcons’ guards from getting comfortable again. It all came back to the big man in the middle for the Saints, as DiBitetto’s defense on Toms and timely baskets carried the team to the finish line.
“He’s been our rock the entire season,” Quinn said. “He knew what a big challenge [Toms] would be for him going in, and he stepped up in a big way. I’m proud of him and how he competed.”
Severn, the defending conference champion, has defeated the Saints twice this season, but with Tillman playing every game knowing it could be his last and DiBitetto stepping up and establishing himself as a force, the Saints are ready for the challenge as they stand one step closer to the ultimate goal.
“We can’t wait for the challenge,” Quinn said. “We’re going to get to work tomorrow and hopefully, we’ve got another great game like tonight in us.”
Have a news tip? Contact Timothy Dashiell at tdashiell@baltsun.com, and x.com/dashielltimothy.
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