Strong Start for Cougars

By: Luke Jackson

The Our Lady of Mount Carmel boys basketball team has started quickly this season.

The Cougars have a 9-1 record and are 2-0 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference. The fast start gives them a good shot at beating last year's impressive 19-13 record.

Tom Rose is the Mount Carmel coach, and his team already has posted victories over MIAA A Conference foes John Carroll and Calvert Hall, good wins for early in any season.

In the Cougars’ two conference victories, senior point guard Troy Franklin (5-foot-11) scored a team-high total of 41 points.

Franklin is the anchor of the Mount Carmel offense. The Cougars will rely on Franklin heavily this season, and he has responded thus far with strong leadership and point production.

Franklin will remain in the area next year, playing for coach Pat Kennedy's team at Towson University. Franklin chose Towson over several other Division I schools.

Senior guard Dwayne Wheeler scored a strong total of 18 points in Mount Carmel's two conference victories. Marc Anthony Franks scored 16 points in these games and Vonzell Groom chipped in with 13 points.

The experience of Mount Carmel’s strong nucleus of seniors -- all five starters are 12th graders -- will be needed to lead the Cougars in conference play in order to compete for the MIAA B title in the latter part of the season.