By Heather A. Dinich Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, March 5, 2003; Page D04 A career-high 26 points from senior center Will Bowers wasn't enough for Spalding to defend its Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association 'A' Conference boys' basketball championship last night, as the Cavaliers fell, 49-48, to Mount St. Joseph's at Goucher College in Baltimore. Spalding (24-6) was down one point and had possession with 12 seconds left but missed five straight chances. The Gaels (28-3) defeated them for the third time this season. "It's the most horrible feeling in the world right now," said Bowers, who has committed to the University of Maryland. "It's the game you love and when you can't come out on top. . . . We played as hard as we could and we tried our best in every area. It was a hard-fought game and I can't really explain what happened. Individual stats don't mean anything when you lose a championship game." Spalding Coach Mike Glick had learned from his previous losses to Mount St. Joseph's that playing a man-to-man defense against the Gaels didn't work, so he switched to a 2-3 zone last night. Still, Mount St. Joseph's shot well from the perimeter, including three three-pointers in the final five minutes of the game that gave the Gaels a 48-46 lead with 1:58 remaining. Mount St. Joseph's senior forward Keon Lattimore had a team-high 20 points, including four of the team's seven three-pointers. Spalding junior forward Rudy Gay, a transfer from Eastern Tech in Baltimore and the team's leading scorer, was held to eight points, but he had three blocked shots and nine rebounds. Bowers finished with six rebounds and made the team's final basket with 40 seconds remaining to pull Spalding within one. "I was proud of the way we executed our game plan," Glick said. "We played as hard as we could. Will is going to Maryland for a reason. He's a great player." © 2003 The Washington Post Company