Seven Howard County teams advanced to the second round of regionals this weekend. The first round of regional games started and finished on Friday across all four MPSSAA classes. Four of the remaining Howard County teams used a first-round bye for an extra week of rest before the intensity of the playoffs ramp up. The other three teams prevailed in matchups against rival county teams. All of the Howard County teams are in the 2A and 3A classes. 2A: Glenelg, Hammond, River Hill Hammond holds the second seed in the West II bracket, standing ahead of the other two remaining teams. The Golden Bears pulled off a thrilling midseason comeback this year, posting an 8-4 record in 2026 after ending 2025 with a 45 record. Their opponent in this second round is the River Hill Hawks. 11-10 River Hill took care of business on Friday with a 65-47 win against 1-19 Wilde Lake. The Hawks will now hit the road to take on Hammond. In their last meeting, the Hawks won late and close in a 56-54 game. The Golden Bears and Hawks face off at 6:00 p.m. tonight. Glenelg are on the other wing of the bracket, coming off their upset win against Long Reach. Three weeks ago on Feb. 5, the Lightning comfortably beat Glenelg at Glenelg in a 67-57 game. The Gladiators appeared to have run out of gas with only one win in their prior eleven games. None of those games finished with a margin less than six points. Glenelg stunned everyone with a 68-62 road win to keep their playoff dreams alive. The path for a Gladiators miracle run will only get harder in the regionals’ second round. Their next opponent is a 12-5 Southern team that remained consistent throughout the entire season. Southern has not ceded an upset loss to a team with a lower winning percentage all season. Glenelg will try to become the story of the MPSSAA playoffs at 6:00 p.m. tonight. 3A: Atholton, Marriotts Ridge, Mt. Hebron, Oakland Mills Marriotts Ridge holds the top seed in North II and earned a first-round bye. Their first playoff opponent is a Franklin High School with momentum. They took down Howard in a thrilling 48-46 showdown, continuing their resurrection from an early-season 1-5 record. Marriotts Ridge will host the second round matchup at 6:00 p.m. tonight. South I number one seed Oakland Mills faces 10-11 Sherwood for its first playoff game. Sherwood routed Reservoir in the first round with a final score of 85-47. The Scorpions will look to bounce back from their county championship loss and regain their momentum for the playoffs. The two teams face off tonight at 6:00 p.m. Across the bracket, Atholton will prepare for a cross-country matchup against Mt. Hebron. The Vikings just secured their closest win of the season against Guilford Park, winning 59-58. They are 6-3 in their last nine and facing an Atholton squad that did not lose a single county game at home. Atholton and Mt. Hebron face off at 6:00 p.m. tonight.
