Division I

Support from family, friends, and fans can often be the extra push a team needs to secure a big win. From the very beginning of the state finals matchup between Pikesville and Southern Garrett, it was clear that Southern had the upper hand when it came to support. The line outside the building stretched far back, filled with a sea of red from Southern fans eager to cheer on their team. As the girls battled against a strong Pikesville squad, the crowd made its presence known, reminding the players that they were not alone. The game was nothing short of a hard-fought battle, with both teams knocking down clutch three-pointers, showing incredible hustle, and playing true team basketball. In the end, though, only one team could walk away with the title. Southern made the extra plays when it mattered most, keeping the score in their favor and ultimately securing the win. The players erupted with excitement as their hard work finally paid off. When the final buzzer sounded, Southern Garrett was crowned the state champion in girls varsity basketball for their division. 🏀🏆

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qr5-rO5o1k 🏀🏀 ROAD TO UMBC MPSSAA GIRLS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 🆚 #2 Pikesville vs #4 Reservoir 📍 UMBC, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena 📝 Kmillz (MFVAllSportsNetwork) They say, “A third time is a charm..” In the matchup today, I was hoping it would prove to be so as the Southern Garrett Rams braved a three hour drive from Western Maryland. The Pikesville Panthers, at least a 15 minute drive, a way lot less than when the state championships were held at University of Maryland, College Park. This was the third meeting of these two powerhouses in the state finals. Southern Garrett, had loss the last two, which were very close wrestling matches. The Panthers were in hot pursuit of setting state records. They looked to be the first girls basketball program to win their 6th title. They were tied currently with the Brooklyn Park Bees, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Also, senior star #1 Mariah Jones-Bey anticipated winning her fourth straight title. Big things, Big ambitions to fulfill, the stage was absolutely set for a great competition. 1ST HALF - The teams both started out getting mistakes out of the way. Garrett put the first points on the board but the Panthers got in rhythm, adding points to the scoreboard. Something that immediately stood out was the defensive stance of the Rams. Making some striking plays were forward #22 Joycelyn Ward, #10 Jayden Weaver, and #3 Gabbi Berry. Ward had a serious block stopping the famous steal, scope and scores from Pikesville. But this didn’t deter the Pike, as Jones-Bey hit a nice jumper to close out the half, 14-20.

 2ND HALF - The Rams stayed their course in this part of the competition. Using their ability to create critical turnovers and make big shots, Southern Garrett made sure their lead was tightly protected. Pikesville did make a few runs doing what they do best, steal the ball and add more points. In the end, the Rams were victorious winning the girls class 1A Championship. TO THE PANTHERS, so proud of you ladies over what you have accomplished this season, and the hard work you have put in over the years. I hope you all continue doing what you have done, being a successful program. You truly have some wonderful individuals there at Pikesville. Wishing you nothing but the best. TO THE RAMS. CONGRATULATIONS on your championship victory. So happy for you, and know that it’s a wonderful feeling to see the work you put in pay off. Keep shining. Keep that same energy, making sure you bring it the next seasons to come. Looking forward to more future successes in the sports world for you. Proud of you ladies. THANK YOU TO BOTH the Panthers and Rams. You guys made the day right, giving us a good athletic competitive game. Love y’all.


 MFV MVP Southern Garrett’s Jayden Weaver with 17 points.

Southern Garrett captures its first state championship since 2018 🏆, defeating Pikesville 52–46.

The 1A Girls Basketball season wrapped up at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Saturday afternoon, where the 24-2 Pikesville Panthers faced the 21-5 Southern Garrett Rams for the third consecutive state championship. Coming in with five consecutive state championships, the Panthers took down the SEED Sabers in the semifinals in a 67-29 rout, while the Rams needed overtime to overcome the top-seeded Smithsburg Leopards 63-59. After falling in the two previous state championships to Michael Dukes’s squad, Southern Garrett head coach Landon Todd focused on scheduling more regular season opponents that echo the Panthers’ style of play. His athletes undoubtedly felt the difference. “Mt. Zion, Osborne Park, and South County were those teams. The pressure they give you on defense, the reaching and getting the ball is so much different than what we see back at home,” junior guard Jayden Weaver said. The game got off slow, with neither team taking more than a two-point lead in the first quarter. Pikesville senior Mariah Jones-Bey nailed a two-point shot from the short corner at the buzzer to put her team ahead after one. The second quarter belonged to the red and white from Garrett County, as the Rams outscored the Panthers 13-6. In the quarter, six different SG athletes found the net, with each contributing between two and three points. By the break, the Rams led 20-14. In the first half, Pikesville was led by Jones-Bey, who contributed six to the scoreboard, while Emelee Parks, Jayden Weaver, and Joycelyn Ward each contributed four, leading their team. In the third quarter, Southern’s offense continued pushing strong. In the quarter’s first four minutes, the Rams outscored Pikesville 11-5, with no individual player pulling ahead, but the team shining as a whole. The Panthers began to turn up the heat though, with Kennesaw State commit NyJae Malik-El scoring four in four minutes, and junior Calia Carter adding three in the same time frame. With an eight-point lead heading into the game’s final eight minutes, Coach Todd and his athletes knew the championship was within reach. Despite Pikesville pulling within four of the lead just one minute in, the Rams’ attack turned up the heat, regaining a nine-point lead with 3:52 to play. Pikesville sophomore Qaidence David shined as the team tried to get back on top, contributing nine over a two-and-a-half minute stretch. Despite Pikesville scoring a game-high 18 points in the final quarter, it would not be enough to win their sixth-straight state title, as Southern Garrett won gold for the first time since 2018, defeating the Panthers 52-46. The Rams had four athletes who played all 32 minutes, with Weaver leading the scoring, contributing 14 points and seven rebounds. For the Panthers, Qaidence David’s strong fourth quarter propelled her to 16, which led the purple and white. After the game, Pikesville head coach Michael Dukes tipped his hat to the newly crowned state champions. “I thought [Southern] moved without the ball really well,” Dukes said. “Some things we wanted to do in our game plan we didn’t do the best job of executing. They were able to get downhill… they got us on the offensive glass and that’s not something we've done well against this team in the past.” Despite the loss, Dukes and his athletes were proud of a season that saw 24 wins, and they’re determined to make it back to the big game in 2027. Coach Todd, after dropping the previous two state title games to Pikesville, couldn’t have been happier with how this game played out. “I’m so happy for our girls and our community,” Todd said. “It’s no secret we’ve been here two other times and we didn’t walk away with the same result. This is extra special.”

After 16 minutes of play, the Rams from Southern Garrett lead the five-time defending champion Pikesville Panthers 20-14. Neither team had more than a one-score lead in the first quarter, but SG pulled ahead in the second, leading by as much as eight points. Pikesville will have two quarters to retake the lead, but if not, Southern will take their first state title since 2018!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=alHJhQ3lD9U

Edgewood girls basketball beat Milford Mill for the first regional championship in program history!! Jael Erickson had 22 points, and Chris Lang scored 11. The lady rams held the lead over the millers the whole game. Samaria Lewis started the game with two clutch threes, and Naja Dalmida had a great game on offense, scoring 8 points. Next game is Saturday, home at 2 pm vs Thomas S Wooton. -Wes Laguerre

The Pikesville Lady Panthers are now 19 & 2. In Saturday, February 21st they got their second defeat at the hands of Rosedale Christian Academy by a score of 51 to 61. Tonight the Pikesville Lady Panthers bounce back and captured another Baltimore County Championship against Perry Hall High. Pikesville won 63 to 33.

New Town Won not Owings Mills

Samira Hawkins lead the Titan with 19 points

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSacp4zRKqg

Freshman Milan MC Clark had a season high 17 points in the win over Western Tech.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_wX5xYu1fQ

The Pikesville Lady Panthers visited Lansdowne High this evening. Pikesville won 67 to 12. Pikesville was led by NyJae Malik-El with 14 points, 5 steals & 4 assists - Kendall Richardson added 14 points, 3 steals & 2 assists and Qaidence David chipped in with a double double with 10 points & 10 rebounds in the win.

Last Monday, Loch Raven senior guard John Artis III scored his 1,000th point on the road in the Raiders win over the Carver Wildcats. The basket came with just 40.6 remaining in the first half, on a play where Artis drove from the wing into the paint, before shooting off the backboard while getting fouled. The basket gave the Raiders a 32-11 lead, prompting a timeout for a brief celebration on the sideline. Loch Raven went on to defeat Carver with a final score of 75-29. This season marked a return to Loch Raven for Artis, after transferring to New Hope Academy in Baltimore for his junior season. In his senior campaign, Artis ranks among the top scorers in Baltimore County, averaging 21.7 points per game according to head coach Brandon Thomas. As a sophomore, Coach Thomas described Artis as a younger and quieter athlete, but challenged him to come out of his shell this season. “I was looking for John to become more of a leader and to be more vocal” Coach Thomas explained. Artis is garnering interest from several collegiate programs. The top of his list includes schools such as St. Mary’s College of Maryland in Southern Maryland, Stevenson University in Baltimore County, Bowie State University in Prince George’s County, as well as several other junior college programs. With his sights set on playing at the next level, Artis has been an integral part in the success of the Loch Raven program throughout this season. Coach Thomas described him as a “true leader”, citing his lead-by-example attitude, assisting on both sides of the ball while picking his teammates up when needed. The Raiders have put together an extraordinary season this winter. After a five point loss in the regional championship last season, Loch Raven currently sits at 8-5. After a 1-5 stretch from the middle of December to earlier this month, the team is currently riding a four-game win streak, including three consecutive road wins against Carver, Sparrows Point, and Patapsco. With just eight games remaining in the regular season, Coach Thomas is simply hoping for Artis, as well as the rest of the team, to remain consistent. After losing seven seniors from last year’s squad, he believes that the current team has reestablished their culture and a real defensive mind. Thomas also explained that it has been rewarding to see the team put everything together, and seeing the results pay off on the court. Loch Raven will head home for a home game this Friday against the 8-3 Overlea Falcons, before two more home matches next week against Kenwood on Wednesday, and Parkville on Friday.

The second week back from winter break in Baltimore County had no shortage of high-powered teams playing high-powered teams. With thirteen BCPS teams currently sitting with winning records, and the regional playoffs just over a month away, plenty of teams are vying for home-court advantage for late February. Several close games, road wins, and upsets went down throughout the county this week, and are highlighted in the top five boys basketball games from January 12-16: Lansdowne: 60, Catonsville: 52 The Vikings came into the game 4-3 following a ten-point home win over Woodlawn, while the Comets brought in a two-game win streak, including a home victory against Randallstown and another on the road against Western Tech. Lansdowne opened the first quarter on a 10-2 scoring run, forcing a Catonsville timeout. After the short break, the Comets fought back, shrinking the lead to 16-11 by the end of the first. In the last two minutes of the first half, Catonsville had several opportunities from behind the line, shrinking the Lansdowne lead to as few as one, but Lansdowne took a 29-26 lead into half. After the break, the Vikings continued to extend their lead, increasing their advantage by another three in the third, and two in the fourth. Despite a valiant effort from the Comets at home, their two-game win streak snapped as Lansdowne took the win 60-52. Parkville: 65, Perry Hall: 57 The Gators came in holding a two-game win streak since winter break, with strong wins on the road against Loch Raven and at home against Kenwood. The Knights had won just one of their last three, with a loss to Meade over the break and two games against county teams since returning to school. Perry Hall opened the game on an 8-0 scoring run that lasted for the first four minutes of the game, but Parkville had a 7-0 run of their own at the end of the quarter, bringing the deficit to just four. The Knights took their first lead of the game midway through the second quarter by just one point, but the Gators tied the game at 27 by halftime. Both team’s offenses were just as strong in the second half, as the Knights tacked on 38 in the second half while the Gators added 30. Perry Hall’s win streak was snapped on the road, as the Knights took this one 65-57. Dulaney: 55, Milford Mill: 32 The Lions came into this game at the top of the standings and riding a five-game win streak, with their most recent loss dating back to December 12 against Carver Vo-Tech. The Millers, also a strong team in the county, won their most recent game, a 30-point victory at home against Western Tech. Dulaney won the opening tipoff, but turned the ball over after missing two shots. After a Milford turnover, the Lions scored the first points of the game on a contested shot in the paint. Throughout the first half, the Millers struggled from beyond the arc, and simultaneously, Dulaney punished the Milford Mill defense, securing no shortage of offensive rebounds. The Lions offense continued playing well throughout the rest of the game, while the defense continued to limit Milford Mill on the way to a 55-32 win. Kenwood: 45, Towson: 32 Towson hit the road to take on Kenwood holding a two-game win streak after games against Patapsco and Carver. The Bluebirds, one game above .500, took down Eastern Tech by four points five days before this game. Both teams’ offenses got off slow, with just fourteen combined points in the first quarter, with three coming on a buzzer-beater three by Kenwood. The start of the second quarter had the same story, but eight combined points were scored in the final two minutes. Towson took their first lead of the game with five minutes left in the third, leading by as much as five, but Kenwood turned up the heat in the final thirteen minutes. To end the game, Kenwood won the scoring battle 27-9, en route to their second straight win, 45-32. Freshman Adrienne Guzman led the scoring for the Bluebirds, contributing sixteen points. Sophomore A’mare Gaulden-Saddler added ten of his own. Junior Zaaire Tucker had 13 rebounds, five offensively and eight on defense. Pikesville: 49, Hereford: 44 The 3-7 Panthers traveled up I-83 to face off against the 7-2 Bulls. Pikesville dropped two close games against Marriotts Ridge and Catonsville in their last two while Hereford came in riding a four-game win streak. Both teams’ offenses opened the game very strong, scoring fifteen each in the first quarter, but the Panthers went on to take a 25-24 lead by halftime. The Panthers offense won both of the final two quarters, taking the third by the three and the fourth by one, giving them the 49-44 upset win on the road. Sophomore Kylan Artis and junior Jonah Matz both played all 32 minutes and both scored fourteen points for Pikesville, while Matz added thirteen rebounds. St. Mary’s College of Maryland commit Tanner Diehl led with 23 points while senior Kreis Metz added eight rebounds and two steals for the Bulls.

Pikesville senior guard Mariah Jones-Bey became Baltimore County's newest member of the 1,000 point-club in tonight's game against Hereford! Jones-Bey hit a corner three with 2:31 left in the fourth quarter, putting her team up 53-13 at home against the Hereford Bulls. The three-time state champion entered tonight's game just eleven points shy of the milestone, having reached double-digit totals in eight of ten games this season. The achievement adds yet another honor to her decorated high school career, and with the postseason just over a month away, the Panthers will continue to rely on Jones-Bey's leadership as the team chases a sixth-straight state title. Congrats, Mariah!

In the first week back from winter break, multiple Baltimore County girls basketball teams had at least two games, leading to plenty of incredible results from the week’s slate. Historic blowouts and close matches led the way in the five games of the week from January 5-9: Loch Raven: 74, Chesapeake: 6 The biggest blowout of the week belongs to Loch Raven, as the Raiders took down the Chesapeake Bayhawks in a 68-point win. The Raiders missed three shots in the first 30 seconds of the game, but a steal from senior Kensley Marcus led to freshman Kennadi Cloude scoring the game’s first points. From there, the team went on a twenty-point run before Chesapeake scored their first points of the game. Chesapeake’s final points of the game came on a lay-up just over halfway through the second quarter, as the Raiders went on a 34-point run in the contest’s final twenty minutes. Kensley Marcus led the scoring for Loch Raven, contributing 24 points in fifteen minutes, with Jadyn Williams adding eighteen and Jadon Conteh ten. Dulaney: 62, Lansdowne: 11 The Lions followed up a 45-point win over Randallstown with another blowout at home against Lansdowne. After several shots by both teams, Dulaney drained the game’s first points on a contested layup, and the team ran away with the game from there. The Lions continued a 10-3 run throughout the first quarter, and by halftime, the team led 34-9. The Vikings scored just two points in the second half, while giving up 28. By the end of the game, Lansdowne logged their biggest loss of the season, falling by 51 points. The Vikings’ leading scorer was senior Piper Graham, who contributed three points. Sparrows Point: 36, Carver: 32 The Wildcats traveled to the eastside of the county to take on the Pointers in what proved to be one of the lowest scoring matchups of the week. Carver clung to a narrow 8-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, but their offense faltered in the second, scoring just four while the defense allowed eleven. In the third, neither team scored double digit points, but Sparrows Point had taken a four-point lead going into the final eight minutes. With both teams tacking on eleven in the final quarter, the Pointers held a 36-32 victory. For a team with a majority of underclassmen, junior Elisah Guity led the scoring for Carver, contributing nineteen with eleven total rebounds as well. Milford Mill: 40, New Town: 33 The 31 Titans traveled to take on their undefeated rivals at Milford Mill Academy on Friday evening. The game started off with strong defense on both sides, as the two teams combined for just seven points halfway through the first. After the slow start, there were 19 points scored by the end of the first, but by halftime, the Millers clung to a narrow 17-15 lead. Milford extended the lead by two points over the next eight minutes, then another three in the final quarter, winning the rivalry match 40-33. Pikesville: 101, Owings Mills, 7 On Friday, the undefeated Panthers hosted an Owings Mills team with just one win during the regular season. It took just seven seconds for sophomore Qaidence David to score the game’s first points, and by the end of the quarter, Pikesville held a 35-0 lead. The Golden Eagles scored their first points of the game just under three minutes into the second quarter, but by halftime, Pikesville held a 57-2 lead. Owings Mills put up another five in the third quarter, but Pikesville crossed the triple-digit line with a long two-pointer with 75 seconds left, finalizing the first 100-point game in Baltimore County this season. For Pikesville, Kyndall Richardson, Mariah Jones-Bey, Qaidence David, NyJae Malikali-El, and Skylah Anderson each crossed the ten point mark in the blowout.

See you this weekend in Owings Mills. 8600 McDonogh Rd, Owings Mills, MD

Pikesville was led by Skylah Anderson with 19 pts, 3 rbs, 3 assts & 2 stls - NyJae Malik-El added 10 pts, 12 stls, & 5 assts - Mariah Jones-Bey added 16 pts, 3 assts & 2 stls in the win. Pikesville moved to a 7 & 0 record for the season.