What a ride 2007-2008 was for head coach Jackie Boswell and The Seton Keough High School, Baltimore, basketball team. Boswell knew early on that her team, made up of a handful of talented seniors and an eager group of underclassmen, were going to make a run for the title.
The Gators did more than that by pacing the IAAM A Conference all season long. The Gators went undefeated in regular-season action, posting a 16-0 record, 29-5 overall.
It was all good for the Gators until the championship game, back on Feb. 17 at Villa Julie College. The St. Frances Academy, Baltimore, Panthers held tight as defending champions, blitzing the Gators late in the championship game to come away with a 43-39 victory and their sixth title.
Though truly a disappointing conclusion to a marvelous season, the Gators picked themselves back up and competed hard in the 14th-annual Bishop Walsh, Cumberland, Invitational Tournament two weeks later to place third in a field of eight top-ranked ball clubs.
“I think we were exactly where we were supposed to be at the end of the season,” said Coach Boswell, who gave a tremendous amount of credit to the Panthers.
Boswell said that for any team, 34 games was a lot of games to play, and that her Gators were prepared and upbeat the entire season.
Boswell will lose five seniors next year and will return two starters and a strong class of promising sophomores.
B.J. Williams, the Gators’ senior point guard and co-captain, is headed to Temple University in the fall to play for Dawn Staley, a former Division I player, WNBA player and seasoned college coach. “B.J. is excited about going and is ready for the challenge,” said Boswell.