Gaels win first tournament title in the 32-year history of the Baltimore Catholic League by Gary Adornato 03/04/2003 It was a twelve-second span every bit as agonizing, to the Mount St. Joseph faithful, as the school’s 32-year wait for a Baltimore Catholic League basketball championship. When if finally concluded, the Gaels had survived a wild five-shot flurry from Archbishop Spalding and captured their long coveted first BCL title with a 49-48 win over the defending champion Cavaliers. The victory also earned the MIAA A Conference crown for St. Joe. (Photos from this contest were shot by Gary Knoll of PhotosOfMe.com. To see a complete series of photos from this game, all available for purchase, log onto www.photosofme.com) “The NCAA talks about March Madness, but I doubt if they have anything that can match this finish,” said St. Joe head coach Pat Clatchey, in describing the game’s closing sequence. The play began following a held ball situation under the Spalding basket and the possession arrow favoring the Cavaliers. Off the in-bounds pass, Spalding junior Rudy Gay missed a short jumper and in the ensuing scramble it seemed as if all 10 players on the floor got a hand on the ball at one time or another. The ball was tipped towards the rim repeatedly, but it never found its way into the basket. “This is incredible. It’s great for Coach Clatchey, the school, our alumni and my teammates,” said St. Joe senior Keon Lattimore, who seemingly willed his team to victory with an electrifying 20-point, seven-rebound performance, including four three-point field goals. “This is a big monkey off of our backs.” Lattimore, not necessarily known as an outside threat, hit one trey in each quarter. On the first, the Gaels’ captured their first lead, 12-11, with 1:11 remaining in the opening period, and each of the other three forged ties in the contest. “Keon is a winner, it’s as simple as that,” said Clatchey. “He will make mistakes sometimes, but more often than not, he’s going to help you win.” Lattimore also got some help from beyond the arc, as the Gaels nailed a total of seven three-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter. After a Lattimore trey tied the game, 42-42, with 5:41 remaining, Brian Johnson connected from long-range to push the third-ranked Gaels in front for the first time in the second half, 45-44, with just three minutes left. Spalding countered with a basket from center Will Bowers, who led all scorers with 26-points, before St. Joe’s Kyle O’Connor hit a three-pointer to put the Gaels in front, 48-46. St. Joe’s Will Thomas, who was later named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, sank a free-throw with 1:07 left to stretch the lead to three, but Bowers answered again, sinking a ten-foot turnaround fader from the paint, to trim the lead back to one, 49-48. With 28-seconds left, O’Connor failed to convert the front end of a one-and-one situation, but Spalding’s Dave Douglas returned the favor, with just 14-seconds left, setting the stage for the game’s stirring finish. The result spoiled Spalding’s bid to win the tournament for a second consecutive season and the fourth time in the last five years, but head coach Mike Glick indicated that it was simply “St. Joe’s year.” “We had our chances, but all of the credit has to go to St. Joe,” said Glick. “They have certainly had a number of great teams who could have won championships, had a shot fallen, here or there. Tonight they got the shots to fall and they deserve to be champions. I am also proud of my players. We executed our game plan perfectly and we are proud to have been part of one of the better finals in the history of the BCL.” Bowers’ 26-points set a new career high, as the seven-foot senior, headed for the University of Maryland to play for the defending national champions, played perhaps the finest game of his high school career. He was extremely aggressive on the offensive end of the floor, displaying a rapidly improving post game and an impressive shooting touch. Ironically, Lattimore is also headed to Maryland on an athletic scholarship, but he will ply his talents on the gridiron. Last night, both players were selected to the All-Tournament Team. Joining them on the squad was Gay, who had eight-points last night and played lock down defense on Thomas, the BCL’s Player of the Year. Thomas, who was brilliant in the Gaels’ two other tournament victories, was limited to single field goal and just five points in the title game. Rounding out the team were Mike Popoko of McDonogh and Darnell Harris of St. Frances. In addition, St. Joe’s Anthony Fair, who scored eight-points last night, was given the tournament’s Sportsmanship Award. All was not lost for the eighth-ranked Cavaliers (25-6), as they accepted an invitation, earlier in the day, to the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational, which will take place at Frostburg State University, later this month. As the BCL champion, St. Joe (28-3) received an automatic bid to the event.