Chapelgate Christian boys basketball defeats St. Paul's, 63-57, earning first trip to conference championship game

Feb. 24—Chapelgate Christian boys basketball has been to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference semifinals before. But since joining in 2011, that's as far as it has gotten.

Alumni like to debate which is the greatest Yellow Jackets team of all time. With several of them in attendance at Thursday night's semifinal, coach Frick Frierson told his players they had an opportunity to set themselves apart in that conversation.

After trailing by eight at halftime, the Yellow Jackets completely flipped the game in the third quarter by ratcheting up the intensity level. No. 2 seed Chapelgate outscored No. 6 St. Paul's, 18-5 in the third quarter in the 63-57 victory. Chapelgate will face top seed St. Mary's in Sunday's championship game after the Saints beat Archbishop Curley, 55-47, in Thursday's other semifinal.

"During the first half when they got that lead, we were starting to get frustrated with ourselves," senior guard Jaylen Marbley said. "Once we got into the locker room, we talked it out, started to bond together. We said, 'We're going to win this game,' and we were all determined to. So we all focused together and made one goal happen to win the game."

St Paul's came out the more energized side in the opening quarter. The Crusaders jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the opening five minutes with Marquel Paschall and Jeremiah Douglas spearheading the offense. Defensively, St. Paul's forced several turnovers with its press into a zone defense, denying post touches and clogging the passing lanes. Chapelgate battled back late in the period as senior Julian Ludwig hit his first of five 3-pointers just before the buzzer.

"It really boosted my confidence," Ludwig said. "Right when I made that shot, I said, 'I know I'm a great shooter, I just kept shooting.' The confidence helped because every single time I just shot the ball right away and I knew I was making it."

The Crusaders maintained their momentum in the second quarter. Each time the Yellow Jackets trimmed the lead, Paschall and Douglas responded with critical buckets, combining to score 24 of St Paul's 38 first-half points. Chapelgate struggled at the free-throw line in the first half, making just 1 of 11 shots.

The second half, however, was a different story. After Douglas knocked down an early 3-pointer, Chapelgate took control. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Crusaders 16-2 over the final six minutes of the period as the home crowd grew louder with every bucket. Douglas picked up his fourth foul midway through the period and the Crusaders' offense struggled without their main initiator on the floor. While St. Paul's offense sputtered, Zef Fuanya sparked Chapelgate's offensive surge with eight of his 11 points.

"He can play 2 through 5. When Timi Akisanya is out, he's the big guy," Frierson said of Fuanya. "We put him in the middle of the press, the middle of the zones. He just goes and goes he's like an Energizer bunny. He just plays so hard, and they feed off him. Jaylen plays the same way; he plays really hard. When things aren't going our way, we can always count on Zef and Jaylen to push, push, push."

"I just wanted it more," Fuanya added. "That's really all it is at the end of the day. If you want it more, diving for a loose ball, just going out there and getting dirty in a good way. Do those things and those 50-50 balls will come to you."

Leading by five to start the fourth, Chapelgate surged to greater heights. Marbley converted a pair of free throws, promptly followed by a Ludwig 3 as part of his team-high 21-point performance. Struggling for much of the second half, St. Paul's offense found life with baskets from Paschall, Josh Stinespring and Andrew Cooper. Paschall's basket brought the Crusaders within one possession inside the final minute.

However, they were unable to convert offensively as Jevon Davis and Marbley sealed the game with a trio of free throws. After the final buzzer, the Yellow Jackets were mobbed at center court by fellow students as Ludwig proudly wore the postgame victory chain, awarded to the game's most valuable player.

"This group has set themselves apart," Frierson said. "That's really exciting because I think the school and the alumni recognize that this team has now done something that no one has ever done by getting to the B Conference championship. It's a big deal for a small school like us."