HCPSS Athletics Weekly Update - State Quarterfinals and more...

SPOTLIGHT

Regional winner Reservoir secures a state semifinals appearance

Reservoir outlasted Mt. Hebron to win the MPSSAA 3A South I regional championship on Thursday.

The two teams played oppositely to their previous matchups during the season. Reservoir and Mt. Hebron faced off twice in a three day span to open February. The Gators won both, outscoring the Vikings 86-63.

The Gators started off hot with eight unanswered points to open the game. A timeout let Mt. Hebron readjust and outscore Reservoir 13-9 for the rest of the first quarter.

The Vikings kept their momentum for the start of the second quarter. Michelle Nzelibe tied the game at 18 with a free throw and Grace Garvin's three point shot gave Mt. Hebron its first lead of the day.

Mt. Hebron's close 26-24 halftime lead stood out against a nearly flawless Reservoir squad. A game between these two rivals had not ended in a one possession margin or a Mt. Hebron win since Dec. 14, 2023.

Leah Lauer got the Gators back on track with an early three point shot to reclaim the lead at 27-26. The Vikings responded immediately and both teams traded off points. They would enter the fourth quarter tied at 36, with their state dreams on the line.

Turnovers proved costly early in the final minutes for Reservoir. Two of them led to four Mt. Hebron points. In a reverse of the first quarter, Mt. Hebron opened the final one with seven unanswered points.

The Gators kept themselves in the game through key fouls against Mt. Hebron's Grace Garvin and Michelle Nzelibe. Reservoir scored on both of those possessions, making it a 45-42 game.

Chloe-Theresa Nguena sunk a game tying three point shot to force months of basketball to come down to the game's last 82 seconds.

Two more possessions kept each team with 47 points and under a minute to play. Sydney Shelton got the ball for Reservoir and became the hero, scoring the decisive two points to win the game.

The Gators claimed their third straight regional title and took on Howard in the state quarterfinals on Saturday. Reservoir won more comfortably against the Lions, taking that game 44-38.

Reservoir will face Edgewood High School in the state semifinals this week.

Boys’ Basketball 🏀

The basketball season is over for Howard County after the first round of states.

Marriotts Ridge entered as the only remaining HoCo boys’ basketball team and faced Franklin High School.

Click here to read Christian Davis’ recap of the game!

Girls’ Basketball 🏀

Glenelg and Reservoir are the last two HoCo basketball teams remaining in the state semifinals.

Click here to read Vivian Robbins's recap of Reservoir's quarterfinal win!

Glenelg routed Frederick Douglass High School on Saturday with a 63-39 final score. The Gladiators will next face 13-1 Williamsport High School in the semifinals.

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

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