Because of their remarkable regular seasons, both St. Frances Academy, Baltimore, and Mount St. Joseph High School, Irvington, were invited to play in the 2008 Alhambra Catholic Invitational in Cumberland.
Entering the tournament, which was played at Frostburg University’s Bobcat Arena, the Panthers were 27-9 – including an impressive upset of the Mount St. Joseph Gaels for the Baltimore Catholic League Championship. The Gaels, who reached the MIAA A and BCL championships but lost both, went into the tournament with a 30-4 record.
However, both teams left Cumberland and ended their seasons on a disappointing note.
After winning the first-round game against Roman Catholic High School, the defending Alhambra Catholic Invitational champion Panthers lost their next
two games.
The Gaels lost their first-round game, which put them in the consolation bracket. From there, the Gaels defeated Judge Memorial in the second game, but lost to Roman Catholic in their final game.
While both teams finished 1-2 in the elite eight-team tournament, St. Frances guard Sean Mosley added another trophy to his impressive basketball resume.
After accumulating 89 points in the three games, Mosley was named the Most Outstanding Player for the tournament.
He was also named to the All-Tournament First Team. A week after being named the Most Valuable Player for the Baltimore Catholic League Championship, Mosley had 35 points in the first-round win for the Panthers. He then had 32 points and 22 points, respectively, in the next two games, which St. Frances only lost by a combined 10 points.
Mosley finished his high school career with a total of 2,933 points, which makes him the second-highest scorer in Maryland high school basketball history. Rodney Monroe, from St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown, is still in first place with 3,047 points. Mosley is heading to the University of Maryland, College Park, next year to play basketball for the Terps.
Although the Gaels had a disappointing postseason, senior guard Justin McCoy was extraordinary for the Gaels. He was named to the All-Tournament Second Team and will play for Coppin State next year.
Besides McCoy, senior center and Georgetown-bound Henry Sims battled through a lingering injury to lead the Gaels in rebounds. Sims ended his career as a Gael with another double-double in the final game of the tournament.