North II

Everyone dreams of making it to the state championship game in basketball, but only a few ever get the chance. When that moment finally arrives, some rise to the occasion while others fall short. Blake rose. Blake captured the championship title with an impressive win over Whitman. The team played with relentless intensity, feeding off each other’s energy from start to finish. It was a true brotherhood on the court, and combined with great coaching, it kept the team locked in and focused when it mattered most. Every player played a vital role in the victory — whether it was knocking down huge three-pointers, creating momentum with big steals, or pushing the ball up the court in transition. These players understood what it took to win, and when the moment came, they delivered. This victory wasn’t just for the team. It was for the school, the families, the friends, and the fans who packed the gym with support. The energy was through the roof, and everyone shared the same goal — to watch their team bring home a state title.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcbsdxMEmso 🏀🏀 ROAD TO UMBC MPSSAA BOYS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 🆚 (3) Blake vs (4) Whitman 📍 UMBC, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena 📝 Kmillz (MFVAllSportsNetwork) This year’s 4A Basketball Championship was dominated by two teams out of Montgomery County. One of these programs, either the Blake Bengals of Silver Spring or the Walt Whitman Vikings of Bethesda, would be crowned the 4A kings. The atmosphere was definitely set for a beautiful matchup.

 1ST HALF - This half was about establishing dominance. I believe a lot of people were anticipating Blake’s Maryland commit, #10 BaBa Oladotun, to be the dominating force of the game, but in fact their Senior guard, #4 Tahj Martin, was making the noise. Walt Whitman did have a 7 point lead as the Bengals fought back to take the lead in the half, 28-22. 2ND HALF - This part of the game was about continuing what worked in the first. Bengals continued to expand upon their lead now finding their motivation to win. Walt Whitman did fight but couldn’t regain the momentum to take their lead back. In the end, the Blake Bengals were crowned as the MPSSAA Boys Class 4A State Champions winning 60-44.

 CONGRATULATIONS to the Bengals on such a monumental achievement. Proud of you guys and keep repping and shining for MoCo. Vikings, there is nothing to be ashamed. You put on your best performance and showed you have ballers. Much love to you.

 Thanks to all at MPSSAA and CSZSCores for making this opportunity possible.

 MFV MVP - Tahj Martin who had 14 points and 6 rebounds.

On Thursday evening, the 23-1 James H. Blake Bengals faced off against the 22-3 Walt Whitman Vikings in the 4A boys basketball Maryland high school state championship. In the semifinal round, Whitman knocked off top-seeded Charles H. Flowers 69-62, while their opponents also pulled off a second-round upset, defeating Meade 66-64. The two teams faced off in the Montgomery County championship game in late February, their only other meeting this season. Blake, without University of Maryland commit Baba Oladotun, took down the Vikings 67-55. After debuting in the semifinal game, Oladotun recognized the presence he has in the media, but explained that he tries to ignore it. “People talked a lot all season with me not playing and they make their own stories,” Oladotun said. “I’ve been with these guys for three years now and the chemistry has become bigger than basketball. It means more than basketball.” Coming into the match, Blake head coach Brandon Howell had an opportunity to win a state title in his first year leading the team. His team got off to a solid start, staying within two scores of Whitman in the first quarter. The Vikings had six different athletes find the net in the first eight minutes. On the other side, Oladotun dropped seven in the quarter off the bench, followed by five from senior Christian Kennard. The second quarter opened in the Vikings’ favor, with Rowan Conroy scoring four points inside of 30 seconds to put his team back ahead, but in the final four and a half minutes, junior guard Max Williams was the only one to score for the Columbia blue, getting just one point on a free throw. Meanwhile, the Bengals were led by Tahj Martin, who dropped seven points in the quarter’s final four minutes. Eli Konkler’s points before the end of the quarter put the Bengals ahead 28-22 going into the break. At halftime, Oladotun and Martin both had seven points, leading the blue and black, while Conroy’s seven points made him the leader for the Vikings. Blake’s lead continued to grow throughout the third quarter. After Whitman made one free throw in the first minute, the Bengals went on a ten-point run, led by four from Kennard, putting his team up by 15 with just over 11 minutes to play. Whitman head coach Chris Lun was forced to use two full timeouts inside of 75 seconds, trying to slow the Blake offense. To round out the third, Max Williams scored four while Will Shapiro scored five, and by the end of the third, Blake held a 12-point lead. The fourth quarter proved to be just as good for the Bengals. They had five separate athletes contribute to the scoreboard in a quarter that saw 16 points. Meanwhile, Whitman only managed 12, securing Blake’s first state championship in school history with a 60-44 final score. 14 Blake athletes saw time on the court in the title game, with four having double-digit point totals. They were led by Tahj Martin who scored 14 with six total rebounds. The state runner-up had 13 players record at least 30 seconds, led by junior Max Williams’s double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Despite the loss, Coach Lun was extremely proud of how his team’s season went. “We’re obviously disappointed with the result,” Coach Lun said in a post-game interview. “This is the third year we’ve gotten here, and obviously can’t get over that hump. Doesn’t take away from everything else we’ve done.” Max Williams, who will be returning to next year’s roster, also knows the role he will take on looking to get back to the title game. “I have full confidence in the group we have next year… we have to take the offseason seriously and I have to step up as a leader and we will make it back,” Williams said. Coach Howell, after winning the 4A title, was on cloud nine. “It still feels surreal, but it’s also a blessing,” he said. “From June in the hot sun running stairs and hills outside, we did things we’ve never done before to make sure we were in shape to play.” Senior Armani Fowlkes, who played almost 30 minutes in the championship contest, also recognized the significance of this marking the first title in school history. “It’s definitely a blessing… the three years before this we fell short in the same game. In our last year together, we had to come together and make a change. That’s what we did.”

Two quarters are finished at UMBC and the Blake Bengals (3) lead the Whitman Vikings (4) 28-22. The first quarter featured a ton of offense from both sides, with Blake's Baba Oladotun coming off the bench and dropping seven, with the quarter ending with the Bengals ahead 16-15. The second quarter was all Blake, as they outscored the Vikings 12-6. Oladotun's seven first quarter points lead his team, while Whitman senior Rowan Conroy also contributed seven in the half, making him the Vikings' leading contributor.

2025/2026 Regional Champions from MoCo

2025/2026 MCPS Division Champions

game is 6:00 at Blair

The entire Richard Montgomery team played amazing, in their win vs. Rockville. Check out some pictures below from the game: www.instagram.com/p/DUx9pWKjrLZ/

Score was the other way around

Entering February, Montgomery County teams have had no action for over a week, with most team’s last games dating back to January 21. With three weeks to go in the regular season, the county will enter February with twelve teams holding a winning record, including an undefeated Whitman squad and two others with just one loss, Magruder and Poolesville. In the season’s final three weeks before the postseason kicks off, here are the top storylines to watch for in Montgomery County Varsity Boys Basketball: 1. Four of Whitman’s (11-0) final games will come against teams with +.500 records, as the Vikings are set to play Sherwood and Richard Montgomery at home while they will travel to Walter Johnson and Damascus. Thus far, Whitman has only played three throughout the entire season, two of which were in the team’s first two games of the year. They took down now 8-4 Blair by 15, followed by an eight point win over 9-3 Kennedy, but competition has since slowed down. Most recent games included 27-point wins over both 0-13 Gaithersburg and 1-11 Clarksburg. Junior Max Williams and senior Bobby Zedak are both averaging 16.5 PPG for the Vikings, and will need to keep performing at a high level if the Vikings want to remain undefeated as they look to avenge two consecutive state championship losses. 2. The game of the season for Montgomery County teams is yet to take place, and it won’t come until the final day of the regular season. Magruder (12-1) is set to travel to Poolesville (11-1) in the last game of the season on February 20. Prior to that, both teams have high-stakes match ups, as the Colonels are also set to rematch the 8-4 Paint Branch Panthers at home on Friday. The Panthers handed Magruder their lone loss, coming in a 62-48 road defeat. So far, Magruder has six wins over +.500 teams. Poolesville (11-1) is riding a 10 game win streak but they have not played a +.500 team in over three weeks. Their most recent game against a team with a winning record was against the 8-4 Seneca Valley Raiders, where they won by 20 points. The Falcons are set to face Northwest (7-7) and Clarksburg (1-11) before a rematch on the road against the Raiders, which is set to tip off on Friday at 7:15. 3. Five teams, Seneca Valley, Damascus, Walter Johnson, Paint Branch, and Blair all currently sit at 8-4. Out of these five, Paint Branch has the hardest schedule, with five games scheduled against winning teams, including 9-3 Kennedy, 11-3 Blake, and 12-1 Magruder while Blake has the easiest with just three, those being 9-3 Richard Montgomery, 9-3 Kennedy, and 7-5 Sherwood. Damascus comes in second, followed by Seneca Valley and Walter Johnson. 4. The Gaithersburg Trojans, who are yet to capture their first win this season have several chances before the end of the season to avoid a totally winless campaign. After tomorrow’s game against 12-1 Magruder, they’re set to travel to Paint Branch to take on the 3-8 Panther on Wednesday. Following that game, they’ll host the 3-10 Springbrook Blue Devils on Friday, and then the 2-11 Northwood squad to wrap up their season on February 20. Both of Northwood’s wins came against 1-11 teams, as they took down Rockville at home by five points in Mid-December, and Einstein on the road by seven on January 14. 5. Four teams in the East are separated by just one game in league play, with Blake and Magruder at 4-1 while Sherwood and Paint Branch sit at 3-2. Each team will face two of the others by the end of this week with the final of the three before the season’s end. Apart from divisional games, Blake will have a three-game stretch where they play 0-13 Gaithersburg, 6-6 Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and 4-8 Wootton. Sherwood will play 3-10 Springbrook in their first game back from the week off, but they will finish their season against 11-0 Whitman, 8-4 Blair, and 8-4 Walter Johnson. Finally, Paint Branch will host 8-4 Damascus and will travel to face 9-4 Kennedy in two of their final three games of the regular season. A big shakeup could be coming in the East division before playoffs begin!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxuqwYivFOc 🏀🏀 MOCO GAME OF THE WEEK 
🆚 Blake Bengals vs Northwest Jaguars
 📍Germantown, MD (Northwest HS) 📝Zay Millz (MFVAllSportsNetwork) Today we headed to Germantown Md to see a matchup between (7-6) Northwest Jags and MoCo’s power house Blake Bengals (9-4) 1st quarter - Blake started off hot with scoring from Blake’s #11 and #1, dominating the broads and steals leading 14-4 to start off. Blake would continue the run leading 21-4 at the end of quarter 2nd quarter - Started off the same with Blake in the driver seat scoring all around playing as the more physical team. But Northwest #11 and #1 would score some buckets to push the score to a 12 point game. With 2 minutes left , a deep 3 by Jaguar’s #2, it would be a 8 point game under a minute to go. Northwest would have momentum going into the half down 23-31. 3rd quarter - Quarter would start off with Northwest on fire going on a 6-2 run with scoring from #11 before the Bengals would gain control mid 3rd and continue their momentum with a 49-37 lead going in to 4th quarter. 4th quarter - Northwest’s #1 would go crazy with constant steals and And 1 plays while Blake got control the lead at 12 mid-quarter. Blake’s #1 and #4 would get some excellent mid range shots and #11 from Blake would get a huge slam dunk to continue the lead as the game would conclude with two minutes to go. Number 1 would hit 2 night-closing 3s to close out the game and #55 from Blake would put the nail coffin as Blake would win 77-65 MFV Game mvps - Blake’s # 1 and #11 APOLOGIES as rosters were not available to me.

Photo courtesy of Richard Montgomery boys' basketball Instagram. Northwood boys’ basketball was just mere inches away from securing its second win of the season — its only victory thus far was a five-point win over Rockville. Since then, including Friday night’s last-second defeat at the hands of Richard Montgomery, 64-63, the Gladiators have lost five straight contests. Richard Montgomery entered the game with a 7-1 record, and had pulled off a few close-margin victories prior to Friday’s game. But the Rockets’ clash with the Gladiators proved to be more of the same, even early. Six minutes into the game, the two sides were nearly identical — both had scored 12 points and committed three fouls. But after that point, Northwood embarked on a 14-0 run that extended all the way into the second quarter. In fact, the Rockets’ first points in the second frame weren’t scored until nearly three minutes in. During the scoring drought, Richard Montgomery had plenty of chances, but couldn’t capitalize on some simple finishes and drives to the cup. Conversely, Northwood’s offense didn’t exactly come easily. The Gladiators had a tough time penetrating the paint area, often settling for outside jumpers or getting fouled on shots inside the line. Slowly working to forge themselves back into the game, the Rockets employed a full-court press that had largely positive results. Northwood threw the ball away from their own side of the court multiple times, leading to odd-man breaks and free throw opportunities for Richard Montgomery. By halftime, the Rockets had whittled their deficit all the way down to just one point, trailing 30-29. Those trips to the free throw line proved instrumental in the comeback. Richard Montgomery opened the third quarter with a 3-point make, its first lead since late in the first quarter. But the frame was a back-and-forth affair overall, with multiple lead swings that ultimately led to the Rockets leading at the end of the period. In fact, it wasn’t until the end of the third quarter that Richard Montgomery hit its offensive stride — over a span of three minutes, it hit three shots from beyond the arc to propel them to a 54-50 lead with just over five minutes left to play. An immediate response from Northwood — a corner three — put the Gladiators down just one. After multiple missed shots and two missed free throws, Northwood seized a one-point lead with three minutes left after a sidestep three. A turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass led to a quick layup, boosting that lead to three points. But the visiting Rockets wouldn’t go away. A forced turnover became a Richard Montgomery and-one opportunity, and this was followed up by a Tavares Vaughan-Cooper scoop layup to reclaim the lead. Vaughan-Cooper headmanned the offense for the Rockets for the remainder of the game, taking dribble-handoffs to the hoop and getting to the free throw line. The contest’s final result ultimately came down to the last possession — Northwood had hit a massive three to go up one with 24 seconds left, only for Vaughan-Cooper to sink two free throws on the other end. Down one, Northwood had 1.7 seconds left to get a shot off and win the game. But the ensuing deep three was off the mark, handing Richard Montgomery its eighth win of the year.

In this rivalry matchup, the Einstein boys basketball team loses to Blair, 43-66, falling down to 1-6 on the season.

Photo courtesy of @e.goody.photos (Instagram). After falling by two points to Magruder and putting an end to its unbeaten start to the campaign, Blake — the presumptive state title frontrunners — needed a response. The opportunity in front of it came in the form of then-undefeated Paint Branch. The Bengals pounced on it, ultimately taking the Panthers in a four-quarter, comprehensive showdown, 79-65. It was Eli Konkler who got the Bengals started, hitting a midrange jumper and a 3-pointer in response to Kahlil Fountain’s deep-range shots. Konkler was Blake’s engine during the first frame, helping his team open up a four-point lead through his lane-driving acrobatics and physicality. The Bengals interior size and leaping ability allowed them to garner an advantage on the offensive glass — Abder Ouattara found room for a layup early while being hounded by two Paint Branch defenders. But that added emphasis in the paint only created more opportunities for Blake outside the arc — and the likes of Konkler and Christian Kennard didn’t miss much. Once Blake got some buckets on the fast break in the second period of play, the Bengals increased their lead even further. A Konkler fast-break layup with seven minutes until half put Blake up 26-17. Paint Branch had virtually no answers for the remainder of the half, as a Konkler 3-pointer on Blake’s next offensive possession began to demoralize the Panthers’ efforts. A layup from the guard minutes later — once again on a fast break — put the Bengals up by 12, forcing Paint Branch to call timeout. From there, Blake went on a 13-10 run to end the half, putting it up 45-30 with 16 minutes still to play. But those 16 minutes didn’t end up working in Paint Branch’s favor, as it was hardly able to make inroads or cut into Blake’s deficit with any substantial run. Ryan Bobb, who hit a three with time expiring in the first half, was able to get off and sink some really quick-release downtown shots. But his efforts still couldn’t make a dent in Blake’s advantage. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Bengals led by 17, and the contest was essentially all but over. A deep Bobb 3-pointer with 4:30 remaining cut Blake’s lead down to nine points, but that was as close as the Panthers found themselves late Friday night. Next up on the docket, Blake is set to take on Westtown on Dec. 29.

The Rockets hosted the Wildcats for their home opener on Friday night! Both teams were amazing!! Check out more pictures here: www.instagram.com/p/DSQTP8bjhPq/?img_index=1

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLG7EKKOYiY

The Boys’s Varsity Basketball game followed with a gym full of energy as the game started off with back and forth buckets. But as the game went on, the Wildcat’s offense took over. In the end, the varsity team suffered a tough loss (34-85), resulting to them falling to 0-2 to start the season. Photos Creds: @png.joff on Instagram

For the past five seasons, Desmin Wade roamed the sidelines at James Hubert Blake High School, being the head coach for the varsity basketball team. During his time there, Blake had a record of 91-35, winning four division championships, one county championship, and making five regional championship appearances. This current April, coach Wade made the difficult decision to step down as the head man, leaving a vacant position at Blake for the first time since the 2019 offseason. However, athletic director Jared Fribush was able to quickly transition, hiring assistant coach Brandon Howell. Howell has been on the staff since 2022, working as an assistant. Howell played at Bethesda Chevy Chase, graduating in 2001; three years after Blake’s grand opening. He explains his desire to coach started when he was at BCC and how he wanted to help his players get to the next level, something that wasn’t seen when he was playing despite the talent around him. This also isn’t the first head coaching position he’s had either. During the summertime, he’s a head coach for Inspire Elite, an AAU organization located in the DMV area. And interestingly enough, coach Wade was his assistant. The two have a very good relationship, and Brandon Howell gave his friend high praise for what he has done the past few years at Blake. “Just his passion for the game, to be able to lead and see the way that he directed the young core that we had from ninth grade all the way up to this point has been nothing less of amazing,” Coach Howell started. “To be able to turn the program around has been miraculous in a sense turning Blake from winning 15 to 16 games to now winning 23. It just shows you the amount of work that he put in there and then having the kids all buy in.” Now shifting back to this past year, when Blake had a record of 23-2, coach Howell looks to build on that success built by coach Wade: and that starts with discipline and team cohesion. “I think when you face a team that is close-knit together, that loves playing for one another, playing together, it's hard to beat that team no matter what type of talent level that they have.” And they certainly have talent, with the No.1 player in the entire country in Baba Oladotun back for his junior season. The 6-foot-9, 175 pound (according to 247sports) forward has a skillset that gets compared to future NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, one of the greatest scorers in league history. Funny enough, Oladotun is a part of the DMV native’s program in Team Durant. Oladotun has 40 offers, including from Maryland, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, and Gonzaga. It’s not just his abilities on the court that stand out either. “He’s probably the most selfless basketball players that I've seen play and been able to coach,” coach Howell said. “He’s all about winning, he will do whatever it takes in order to win.” He emphasizes discipline and accountability from all of his players and explains that they weren’t the most disciplined team last year, but hopes that he’ll be able to get the most out of them not just skill wise, but also mature wise. “Whoever your brother is out there, I make sure that all the kids on the team have an accountability partner. So, whoever your brother is, he’s got to hold himself accountable in the classroom. And then on top of that, while we're in practice and on the floor competing against other teams, we just want to play the right way: play together. We want to play selfless basketball.” Moving forward into this upcoming winter and beyond, coach Howell has goals and aspirations that include not only regional championships, but also state titles. But it’s going to come by doing the little things right, being disciplined, working hard, and playing selfless basketball; the pillars of his philosophy. He wants Blake to turn into a powerhouse where recruits/transfers want to head to. “I want us to be the school that produces not only just college educated individuals, but also good young men for the community and basketball players who want to play on the next level.” That, combined with his philosophy and familiarity with the team can leave Bengal fans excited not only for this season, but for future seasons as well.

🏀🏀 CAPITAL HOOPS SUMMER LEAGUE 1 @ AACS |
🆚 RM vs AACS Summer league players from the Richard Montgomery Rockets face off against the AACS Eagles. Keep shining and grinding while learning from your coaches. SPEACIAL THANKS to AACS and CAPITAL HOOPS for allowing us to film. ✅Final Score: EAGLES - 47 ROCKETS - 71 👀 MFV U📺🔗⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw4sTOTCZPE

Springbrook boys varsity have become regional champions with a final score of 65 to 56