Division II

2/27

In the opening round of the MPSSAA 3A playoffs on Friday, February 27th, Franklin High School pulled out a gritty 48-46 win over Howard High School in a game that stayed tight from start to finish. The difference came in the final moments, when Jamal Little drilled a clutch three-pointer to give Franklin the edge and close it out. Franklin’s approach all night was built on team play and defensive focus. They stayed locked in on that end of the floor, contesting shots and making Howard work for everything. Even when mistakes popped up, especially a stretch with multiple turnovers, they didn’t let it spiral. The composure stood out as they kept communicating, kept hustling, and didn’t lose their structure. Norman Nuton was a key factor. He consistently got downhill, attacking the basket and finishing at the rim. Whether in transition or in half court sets, he gave Franklin a reliable way to generate points when things slowed down. The game tightened late, with both teams trading possessions and neither giving much ground. In that moment, it came down to decision making under pressure, and Franklin High School executed it the right way. Abe Montances drew the defense and quickly moved the ball to the corner, trusting his teammate to make the play. Jamal Little was ready, rising up and knocking down the three that gave Franklin the edge. As the shot dropped, the Franklin crowd erupted, the gym instantly coming alive. Teammates stormed toward Jamal from the bench and the floor, surrounding him in celebration after delivering in the biggest moment of the night, sealing a hard fought 48-46 victory.

Overlea senior Korrie Foster reached his 1,000th point in his team’s first game of the season against the Towson Generals! The milestone was passed in the second quarter of January 16th’s game, when Foster sank a mid-range shot from the elbow, growing what was already a double-digit lead. This case was different than the three others, as Foster explained he didn’t know in the moment that he reached this coveted threshold. “We didn’t stop the game, I didn’t even know that it had happened. I wasn’t told until senior night against (Patapsco),” Foster said. The playmaker was honored before Overlea’s game against Patapsco on Feb. 9, where the Falcons went on to win by 40 points. That blowout two weeks ago was emblematic of how Overlea’s entire season has played out. After dropping three of their first four games in December, with each of the three loses coming against out-of-county opponents, the Falcons soared towards the top of the county standings, with a 12-3 record as of the Patapsco game. With no more games left on their regular season schedule, the Falcons will go into the postseason in second place in BCPS with a 15-4 record. Foster’s journey to the top of the stat sheet didn’t come easy. Despite being on varsity for all four years, he started off as a quieter player, with his voice truly growing throughout this season. “Freshman year, I wasn’t the main guy, but this year especially I’ve started to be more vocal and picking up my teammates,” he said. Additionally, this is the first year that Foster has played the role of floor general. In past seasons, he has played as a shooting guard, averaging around 20 points per game. This season, as the point guard, MaxPreps shows that that average has increased by ten percent. With this increase and generally improved play, Foster said that, while he is unsure if he has any official offers, he certainly is garnering interest from Goucher College and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, as he explained in an interview. As Korrie and his team prepare to begin the playoffs, with the regional quarterfinals slated to begin this Friday, he feels extremely confident. “I feel great and the team has felt great. We have lots of trust and a strong work ethic.” The highlight of the season was Overlea’s second game against Parkville, when, despite a six point deficit going into the final quarter, the team won by five. Foster also has a lot of confidence in his teammates, especially juniors Daz’mir Giles, Malachi Knowles, and Justin Swanson, as well as his head coach Will Watts, as they will look to defend their high county ranking in the final few weeks of the season. His final message for the fans: “Just stay tuned.”

Samira Hawkins lead the Titan with 19 points

www.youtube.com/watch?v=flDGxH93SUg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSacp4zRKqg

Baltimore County has its third 1,000th point athlete of the season! Perry Hall junior guard Nazir Anderson reached the mark in the Gators’ most recent game on January 21 on the road against the Dundalk Owls, when Perry Hall won their second straight game 64-43. The achievement happened a minute after the halftime break ended. Perry Hall led by double-digits after a late second-quarter run. From the right wing, Anderson knocked down a deep three, which put him at 1,001 career points. The game was promptly stopped for a celebration, and as his teammates congratulated him, Anderson received an engraved game ball. The Rosedale Christian transfer has lit up the court all season, averaging over 25 points per game for the Gators. Throughout this winter, Anderson explained that he has shifted from shooting guard to being his team’s primary ball handler. He has also focused this season on improving his defensive game while creating shots in tight spaces. With a season and a half left to play, the junior already has official offers from six schools, most notably Liberty, Bucknell, and Cornell. He has also garnered interest from four other Ivy League schools, and others along the East Coast. As a team, Perry Hall sits at 7-3 overall, including a one-point loss to Reach! Lake Clifton High School at the team’s first game of the campaign. The Gators are currently riding a three-game win streak, having defeated Eastern Tech, Dundalk, and Carver in their last three, with games against Chesapeake, Patapsco, and Overlea coming up this week. Anderson credits his team’s success to teammates Nnamdi Ezeaputa, who almost reached a quadruple-double in the Gators’ road win against Eastern Tech, junior Marcus Smith Jr., and senior Alex Rice. He also credited Perry Hall coaches Joe Carlineo, Rob Sparks, and Marcel Thompson for their hospitality in his first year back in BCPS. With six games left to play in the regular season, he feels extremely confident in his team having a potential deep run into the playoffs. “We're really tuned up and ready to go into this postseason. We have the tools, the skills, the coaches, and the fans to make it to the championship,” Anderson explained. After reaching his 1,000th point on the road, a ceremony is set to take place before the team’s home game tomorrow, weather permitting.

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

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.

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.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIVb2X5nymk

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.

Over winter break, Baltimore County’s athletes took very little time off, focusing on improving individual skills and their team’s performance. Some girls basketball teams held normal practices, while others traveled to face opponents seldom on their schedules. Here is how a few Baltimore County teams utilized their winter breaks: Carver: Head coach Kevin Perry explained that his team has taken the break to focus on improving fundamentals in their team practices this winter. The Wildcats opened their season with a home win against Overlea and a road win against Green Street before going 2-2 ahead of the break. The team’s focus is solely on two games in this first week back, as they will travel to Sparrows Point on Wednesday and host Towson on Friday. Catonsville: The Comets participated in the 695 Holiday Hoops tournament, winning their bracket after playing two games. The team took down the Tuscarora Titans 48-28 in their first game, followed by a 53-28 win over the Edmonson-Westside Red Storm. New Town: The Titans participated in the 695 Holiday Hoops tournament, facing off against Manchester Valley from Carroll County and Largo from Prince George’s. After dropping their first game 51-33, the team bounced back, as they defeated the Lions 55-42. In the win, senior Makiah Pollard scored 23 points in the second half, with eleven rebounds to add on. Perry Hall: The Gators participated in the Overlea holiday showdown, playing two games on Monday, December 29, and Tuesday, December 30. In game one, Perry Hall took down the Mervo Mustangs 53-23. Taylor Pollard was the Gator’s leading scorer, putting up 15 points with five steals. Denim Waters added nine and Deamya Ojo eight. In their second game, Perry Hall won again, this time against the Dunbar Poets, by a final score of 54-32. Perry Hall led by a narrow seven point margin at halftime, but Pollard’s seventeen total points and Ojo’s twelve rebounds propelled the team to the big win. Pikesville: The Panthers traveled to Salisbury to participate in the Governor’s Challenge, playing two games early last week. On day one, the team took down Queen Anne’s County High 50-27, and in the championship game on Tuesday, Pikesville triumphed against the Smyrna Eagles 55-47. Nyjae Malikali-El led the scoring for Pikesville in the championship, with nineteen points and seven steals, and also won the tournament’s skills competition. Freshman Kyndall Richardson also won the three-point challenge, bringing yet another trophy home for the five-time consecutive state champions. Towson: The Generals currently sit at the top of Baltimore County with a 5-0 record, highlighted by strong wins over Western Tech, Parkville, and Loch Raven. Eric Erhardt, the Generals’ head coach, explained that his team had practices as normal, and that the team typically does not participate in holiday tournaments. Towson will look to continue their undefeated run with away games against Patapsco and Carver this week.

For most high school students, winter break is a week and a half at the end of the calendar year to sleep in, spend time with family, and relax outside of school. For dozens of athletes throughout the county, however, the break is spent on the court, sharpening both skills and team chemistry. BCPS teams participated in several winter break tournaments across the state, and here is a look at how many teams performed: Chesapeake: The Bayhawks participated in Overlea’s holiday tournament and played two games. On the tournament’s third day, Chesapeake played their first game, facing off against the Owings Mills Golden Eagles, but falling 65-56. On the fourth day of the tournament, Chesapeake fell to the Ben Franklin Bayhawks, from Baltimore City, 70-56. Dulaney: The Lions played in the first two days of the Overlea holiday tournament, facing off against New Hope Academy and their rivals, the Towson Generals. On the first day, the Lions came up short against the Tigers, losing 90-49, then going on to take down Towson in a 50-46 game. Eastern Tech: The Mavericks traveled to New York City to participate in a holiday tournament at Elmcor in Queens, NY. The first game was a 50-48 win against Queens High while the second was a 75-55 loss to Pope Francis Prep from Springfield, Massachusetts. Adrian Pefianco combined for 39 points across the two games while Brian James Jr. had twelve points with three steals in the game two loss. Following the tournament, Eastern Tech had the opportunity to attend a practice for the Hofstra Pride basketball team. The Mavericks now turn their focus to their first regular season game of 2026 against Parkville. Hereford: The Bulls traveled several hours into the mountains of Maryland to compete in the 36th annual Snowball Classic, hosted by Southern Garrett High School. On Friday night, Hereford took down the hosting Rams 37-35, with a buzzer-beater lay up from junior Joe Daw. In Saturday’s championship game, Hereford faced the North Hagerstown Hubs, falling 67-63. Since the end of the tournament, the team has returned to regular practices as they prepare for an away game against Woodlawn on Wednesday. Kenwood: The Bluebirds went into the break on a three-game win streak, defeating Aberdeen, Sparrows Point, and Chesapeake in the week before the break. In Kenwood’s annual Christmas Classic, the team lost to a senior-heavy Elkton Golden Elks team 65-35. Sophomore Maurice Evans and Freshman Adrienne Guzman lead the team in points per game with ten and nine, respectively. Chaze Johnson and Tyre Robinson both average 8-9 rebounds per game, also leading the second best team in BCPS Division I. Lansdowne: The Vikings participated in Overlea’s holiday tournament, playing two games against Coppin Academy and Baltimore Polytechnic. Lansdowne took down Coppin Academy 71-37, with Topaz Norris accounting for 21 points and eight rebounds while Trevor Howard had 17 points of his own. Serigne Babou had eight blocks and seven rebounds in the win. Lansdowne went on to fall to the Poly Engineers on day four of the tournament. Milford Mill: The Millers traveled to Salisbury to participate in the “Best Experience in High School Hoops”, the 42nd annual Governor’s Challenge. On Friday, December 26, the Millers could not take down Delaware’s Smyrna Eagles, with a 78-60 final score. Romeo Hart achieved a double-double in the loss, with 22 points and fifteen rebounds. On Saturday afternoon, Milford Mill avenged the previous day’s loss, as they defeated the Wagner Falcons from Staten Island. The final score in their second game was 63-60, led by Bryce Galloway who had a 36 point performance. Milford Mill then went on to face the St. Francis Panthers in a showcase. Owings Mills: The Golden Eagles were yet another BCPS team competing in the Overlea tournament, competing against the Chesapeake Bayhawks on the afternoon of day three, and the Coppin Academy Eagles on the fourth day. Their first game resulted in a nine point Owings Mills win with a final score of 65-56, but the Golden Eagles fell to the private school 54-36 on the tournament’s final day. Overlea: The Falcons expanded their annual holiday tournament, hosting 36 total teams across four days with nine games each day. The tournament also expanded to host girls basketball teams for the first time. Overlea played two games, taking down the Randallstown Rams 77-60 on December 26 and falling to New Hope Academy from Landover Hills, MD, with a final score of 81-41. Senior guard Korrie Foster Jr. accounted for 30 of the team’s 77 points in the game against Randallstown per Maxpreps. Parkville: The Knights competed in Meade High School’s Christmas tournament on December 29 and December 30. In their first game, Parkville fell to Meade 74-47, and in the second, they lost a close game to the Wildcats with a final score of 56-48. Throughout the tournament, Parkville senior Cameron Alexander served as a strong leader for the entire team. The Knights are set to host Eastern Tech in their first game of 2026, taking place on January 7. Perry Hall: The Gators played two afternoon games in Overlea’s tournament, playing on the first two days. Perry Hall dropped their day one game 55-52 against Maurice McDonough High from Charles County. The Gators went on to play Rosedale Christian, but dropped a 71-65 final score to the Panthers. Randallstown: The Rams played two night games in Overlea’s holiday tournament, as they faced off at 7:15pm on night one and 6:00pm on night two. In the team’s first game, they fell to the hosting Falcons with a final score of 77-60, then going on to drop their second game to the Archbishop Curley Friars by a smaller margin, 64-52. Towson: The Generals participated in a tournament hosted by Overlea High School, facing off against Loch Raven and Dulaney. Towson took down the Raiders and fought back from a 25-point deficit as they lost to Dulaney 50-46. The comeback came with incredible defense, as the team came back from a 22-point deficit going into the fourth quarter to only lose by a handful of points.

Photo credit to Nate Cherry, on instagram @nate_cherry09 On Friday evening, the Pikesville Panthers hosted the Franklin Indians in their first home game of the winter. Coming into the match, the Panthers were 1-1, with their most recent game being a loss on the road against Dulaney, while the Indians took down Owings Mills at home, 68-20, on Wednesday. Last time the two teams met came in February of 2024, where Franklin won the home game 56-37. Before regulation began, Franklin was assessed a technical foul, bringing Pikesville junior Jonah Matz to the free throw line. His two made baskets gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead before the clock started to run. The two teams traded baskets throughout the quarter, highlighted by four points from numbers one and twenty, giving the Indians a one point lead at the end of the first quarter. The Indians opened the second quarter on a 10-2 scoring run over the first four minutes, while keeping an aggressive style on the defensive side. Out of the timeout, Pikesville’s Kylan Artis hit back-to-back three pointers to bring his team within two. To round out the first half, number four scored five points in the last two minutes for the Indians, giving Franklin a 32-27 lead at the half. Coming out of the break, Kylan Artis quickly hit two more threes, separated by a Franklin two-pointer. Over the next four minutes, the Indians tried to get more separation on the scoreboard, with baskets from numbers two and twelve, but Artis’s fifth three of the game tied the game for Pikesville, with 4:30 to go in the third. With 52 seconds remaining in the quarter, Pikesville’s Marco Kabigting nailed a layup to give the Panthers their first lead since the first minute of the game. With both teams missing several shots in the final minute, the third quarter ended with the Panthers ahead 46-45. In the game’s final quarter, the first two minutes went by scoreless, but Pikesville senior Tyler Smith had several points in the final six minutes. Franklin was held to just five total points in the fourth, after averaging fifteen in the first three quarters. Junior Jamison Pittman Washington made two layups for Pikesville in the last minute of the match, as the Panthers took down the Indians by a final score of 58-50. Kylan Artis was Pikesville’s leading scorer with 20 points total, including six three pointers. Jonah Matz contributed fourteen points plus sixteen rebounds. Franklin’s F12 led the scoring for the Indians with eighteen points. Pikesville has one more regular season game scheduled before winter break, as they will travel to Patterson High to take on the Clippers on Monday. Over the break, the Indians are set to compete in the Holiday Hoops tournament, where they are scheduled to face off against Gerstell Academy and Reservoir.

Randallstown High School dominated Owings Mills High School in today’s boys varsity basketball matchup, cruising to a 71–18 victory. Owings Mills struggled on both ends of the floor, unable to keep consistent offense or slow Randallstown’s pace. Randallstown showed out offensively, energizing the crowd with multiple dunks and a steady stream of three-pointers. Leading the team, Randallstown’s #1 effectively ran the offense, creating opportunities and keeping the pressure on throughout the game, while Owings Mills players struggled to keep up with the tempo.

The Pikesville Lady Panthers visited Franklin High today. Pikesville won 65 to 26. Mariah Jones-Bey led the way with 17 pts, 5 rbs, 4 assists and 4 steals - NyJae Malik-El added 11 pts, 7 assists and 5 steals - Qaidence David chipped in with 11 pts, 10 rbs, 4 steals and 2 blocks in the win.

Game was postponed because the lights went out because of the wind. Game was stop towards the end of the 3rd quarter with New Town ahead 35-24