by Derek Toney
see videos below
Troy Franklin is getting pretty comfortable with the court at the Towson Center.
After leading Mount Carmel High to victory in the MIAA B Conference championship game nearly two months ago, Franklin returned Sunday afternoon and helped the Baltimore All-Stars to a 107-82 victory over the U.S. All-Stars in the 8th annual Charm City Challenge before an audience of 1,938. Franklin, whose next appearance at the Towson Center will be this fall as a freshman on the Tigers’ basketball squad, was the game’s most valuable player.
“I was looking for another win at my house,” said Franklin, a lightning quick 5-foot-10 point guard who had 14 points, four steals and four assists including a pair of dazzling passes for slam dunks.
Kim English, a former standout at Randallstown who played last season for Notre Dame Academy in Massachusetts led all scorers with 18 points, and Douglass guard Omar Strong had 16 points. Dee Bost, a Mississippi State-bound guard from Virginia’s Hargrave Military Academy, led the U.S. All-Stars with 17 points, and Pittsburgh recruit Nasir Robinson added 15.
In winning for the fourth consecutive year, Baltimore extended its series lead to 6-2. Though an exhibition, the game is a source of pride for the locals.
“We had wonderful practices, everybody put a 100-percent into it,” said St. Frances Academy’s Sean Mosley, who had 15 points and a game-high six assists. “In practice, everything was intense. “
“It was great to play with your friends from back home on the court,” said English, who will play for the University of Missouri next season. “In the locker room, all we were talking about was not being the Baltimore team to drop the ball. We just came out and started on defense.”
Though defense is often a second-thought in all-star game, Baltimore limited the U.S. squad to its lowest output since the inaugural contest in 2001. With English and Mosley combining for 24, Baltimore built a 49-37 halftime advantage.
The U.S. squad closed within 59-55 with 4 minutes, 41 seconds left in the third quarter, but Franklin buried a three-pointer, igniting a 19-7 run extending Baltimore’s lead back into double digits. He highlighted a crowd-pleasing finish over the final couple of minutes.
After taking an outlet pass from Mosley, Franklin lobbed the ball off the backboard and Mosley finished with a dunk. Mosley, DigitalSports’ player of the year, later had a two-handed slam, courtesy of Franklin, who left a U.S. defender gasping for air off of a nice crossover and scored.
Franklin had another alley-oop to Mount St. Joseph’s Henry Sims for a reverse dunk. Franklin, Mosley and English were all-tournament picks along with Bost, Robinson and Xavier Gibson, a Florida State recruit, from the U.S . team.
“All we did was run and see how well we play together” said Franklin. “It really wasn’t do this play, do that play, we just came to see how well we run together.”
And run the Baltimore team did.
Charm City Challenge
At Towson Center
Baltimore 107, U.S. 82
United States: Loucks 1, Robinson 15, Thomas 5, Johnson 6, Baciu 5, Bost 17, Turner 14, Davis 8, Gibson 11. Totals 31 16-35 82.
Baltimore: Strong 16, English 18, Mosley 15, Sims 10, Chaney 6, Franklin 14, Bald 7, Greene 4, Sheppard 4, Westmoreland 5, Jones 6, Franks 2. Totals 41 14-19 107.
Halftime: Baltimore 49, U.S. 37.
U.S. 17 20 25 20-82
Baltimore 29 20 27 31-107
