HCPSS Athletics Weekly Update - Basketball Regional Winners and more...

SPOTLIGHT

Seven Teams Advance to the Regionals’ Second Round

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. tomorrow.

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 have 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. tomorrow.

3A: Atholton, Marriotts Ridge, Mt. Hebron, Oakland Mills

Marriotts Ridge hold 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 county 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.

Boys’ Basketball 🏀

Marriotts Ridge won its county championship game on Tuesday. Congratulations to the Mustangs on taking the county crown!

The regionals’ second round will include four Howard County games today.

Girls’ Basketball 🏀

Reservoir took down Oakland Mills to win its county championship game on Tuesday. Congratulations to the Gators on securing the county crown!

The regionals’ second round will include five Howard County games tomorrow.

Oakland Mills and Reservoir would meet again if they both advance past this round…

AROUND THE LEAGUE

The MPSSAA basketball state championships find a new home

MPSSAA shifted the venue for the 2026 boys and girls basketball state championships from the University of Maryland's Xfinity Center to the UMBC Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.

The move, announced earlier this month, marks the first change in location for the boys' finals since they began at UMD facilities in 1947.

The boys' championships have historically been held at Ritchie Coliseum from 1947 to 1955, Cole Field House from 1956 to 2001, and the Xfinity Center since 2003. The girls' championships have bounced between venues, going from UMBC in 1993-2013 to Towson University's SECU Arena from 2014-19 and most recently to the Xfinity Center.

Whitman boys’ basketball coach Christopher Lun explained that the tradition of competing at the University of Maryland will take time to move past.

“Many of our past Whitman teams have such great memories in College Park,” Lun said.

The Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena has a capacity of 6,000, but only 5,000 seats are available for basketball games. The Xfinity Center had room for over 17,000 fans.

The new venue’s proximity could be the source of the change. In some counties, like Howard County, the average distance to the games decreased by over five miles. Pikesville basketball coach Michael Dukes appreciated the easier access and the potential for boosted attendance.

Other team coaches had mixed opinions on the sudden change to UMBC.

Towson girls’ basketball coach Eric Erhardt did not feel strongly about the change and offered a more ambivalent reaction.

“Obviously, the facilities aren’t quite as nice as Maryland; however, I’ve been to UMBC games and think the gym and atmosphere have always been good. The location is fairly easy to get to off the beltway. I prefer UMBC because of the proximity,” Erhardt said.

Peter Kenah, the coach for the Walt Whitman girls’ basketball team, saw his team go to both UMBC and UMD for the championships. He looked forward to fewer logistical restrictions from playing at UMD.

“I am a huge fan of the change…The smaller venue compared to the cavernous UMD is great…More intimate, more exciting,” Kenah said.

Kenah also wants to see the state semifinals come to UMBC instead of just the finals.

“That was the best rather than the model now. It made it really feel special to make the state final four,” Kenah said.

The MPSSAA basketball state championships will be held from March 12 to March 14.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Indoor Track 🏃

Student ambassador Vivian Robbins had in-depth coverage of the 3A Central competition.

Click here to learn about the results!

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