Game MPSSAA Class 1A Girls Basketball State of round Round 3

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.”