Mercy’s No. 7 basketball team hadn’t faced much competition in winning its first five games, but No. 8 Old Mill gave them a scare Tuesday night before the Magic pulled out a 57-52 victory.

Myah Hazelton, a 6-4 junior center/forward who transferred from Sparrows Point, proved a tough inside challenge for the Patriots’ zone defense as she finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

The host Magic led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter before the Patriots (0-2) rallied to within 55-52 on Amani Watts’ put-back with two minutes left. Mercy turned the ball over three times, but Old Mill managed just one shot before they had to start fouling with 19.6 seconds.

Sophomore guard Milan Brown hit both free throws with 13.2 seconds left to seal the win. The Patriots could not connect on three shots in the final eight seconds.

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“We needed that game so bad,” Mercy coach George Panageotou said. “We needed to be pushed. We needed to be tested, because what we’ve had the first five games was nowhere near that, so ultimately, it was amazing to win. That’s really going to help us moving forward -- and just to gut it out.”

Mercy first-year coach George Panageotou gives the No. 7 Magic a few tips during a timeout Friday night en route to a 57-52 win over No. 8 Old Mill. Panageotou, who led Perry Hall's boys basketball team to state titles in 2017 and 2018, played a few MIAA teams during his tenure, so he reminded the Magic how motivated public school teams can be to beat their private school opponents. (Katherine Dunn)

Having Hazelton to complement 6-foot senior center/forward McKenna Carroll adds a new dimension to the Magic’s game, one they needed moving up to the IAAM A Conference, said sophomore Brown.

“We needed her especially in games like this, because she showed out,” said Brown, one of the area’s top point guards.

“When people play man, most times, it’s easy for me to beat them off the dribble, so when people play zones, it’s better to have an inside presence because it’s harder to get in the paint and finish at the rim, so having an inside presence means I’m able to get her the ball and she’s going to work out and probably get a bucket.”

Mercy's Milan Brown (1) and Myah Hazelton led the No. 7 Magic to a 57-52 win over No 8 Old Mill Tuesday night. Brown hit two free throws with 13.2 seconds left to seal the win and Hazelton, a 6-4 junior center/forward, scored 27 points.
Mercy's Milan Brown (1) and Myah Hazelton led the No. 7 Magic to a 57-52 win over No 8 Old Mill Tuesday night. Brown hit two free throws with 13.2 seconds left to seal the win and Hazelton, a 6-4 junior center/forward, scored 27 points. (Katherine Dunn)

Brown said she and Hazelton have been friends for a long time and she helped convince the Virginia Tech commit to make the move from Sparrows Point. Tuesday night, Hazelton, an agile player with a soft touch on the ball and 3-point range, had her best game yet.

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“This was a tough one, but I’m glad to be here,” she said. “This was a really big game… McKenna, she’s a huge help, having someone stronger in there. When I get pushed around, I can always dump it or kick it back out to Milan for the shot. I think our chemistry is really developing as the season goes on and these harder games like tonight are going to help.”

The Patriots never figured out how to contain Hazelton, who hit nine of 11 two-point shots as well as two of three 3-pointers.

“If we dropped too high, she still was in front of the rim, because she can sky being tall, so I thought that was a good strategy for them,” Old Mill coach Henry Fuller said. “We tried to make the adjustments, but when we did, they started to bring the shooter (Olivia Liszt) over, so then we really had to compensate to get to the shooter and protect the rim.”

With 5:16 left in the game, the Magic had built their biggest lead, 52-41, with a 7-2 run. Hazelton scored on an inbound pass from Logan Jefferson before Liszt hit a 3-pointer. Carroll, who got in early foul trouble and finished with six points, capped the run with two free throws after one of her two steals in the quarter.

The Patriots then began to chip away at the lead. Neveah Brown scored and then fed Jemirahh Brown for one of her four 3-pointers to pull within 52-46.

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Milan Brown, who finished with 10 points and five assists, hit a layup on a pass from Lauren Panageotou with 3:32 remaining for a 54-46 lead, enough for the Magic to hold on.

Old Mill coach Henry Fuller talks to the Patriots during a timeout late in their game Tuesday night at No. 7 Mercy. The No. 8 Patriots got 18 points from Jemirah Brown and cut the lead to three with about two minutes left, but Mercy held on for a 57-52 win. (Katherine Dunn)

The Patriots, coming off last week’s loss to Anne Arundel County rival and No. 6 Glen Burnie, had hoped to bounce back with a valuable win over the A Conference Magic, who won the B2 Conference last season.

“He showed us some things we’ve got to work on,” Fuller said of Panageotou’s strategy. “To me, the kids had a really good showing tonight unlike we did at Glen Burnie. I’m proud of my girls tonight.”

Jemirah Brown led the Patriots with 18 points while Watts added 13 as well as 13 rebounds.

NO. 7 MERCY 57, NO. 8 OLD MILL 52

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Old Mill 16 5 18 13 — 52

Mercy 18 13 14 12 — 57

Old Mill— Makenzie Singletary 3; Neveah Brown 7, Jemirah Brown 18, Alina Fant 1, Nyasia Futrell 2, Amaya Douglas 9, Amani Watts 13. Totals: 16 10-19 52.

Mercy — Milan Brown 10, Lauren Panageotou 3, Myah Hazelton 27, Olivia Liszt 6, Logan Jefferson 3, McKenna Carroll 6, Miley Alguire 2. Totals: 21 10-15 57.