MPSSAA Boys Basketball Semifinal Previews

Here is a preview of the six state semifinal games featuring teams from the Baltimore area, including Parkville and Meade in 4A, City College in 3A, New Town in 2A, and Lake Clifton and Edmondson in 1A. 

4A State Senifinals 

#3 Parkville (25-1) v #17 Gaithersburg (19-6) 

⁃Wednesday @ Wise 6:30 

Parkville – Coach Josh Czerski 6th season 114-33 

Gaithersburg – Coach Josh Holda 7th season 112-54 

Parkville – O: 76.6 PA: 51.2 PD: +25.5 

Gaithersburg – O: 61.0 PA 49.6 PD: +11.4 

Parkville – v top 25 7-1, v top 50 8-1 

Gaithersburg – v top 25 1-3, v top 50 2-3, v top 50 3-5 

Familiarity here. The Knights and Trojans met in the Governors Challenge over the holidays, with the Knights eking out a 59-57 victory over the Trojans. The Knights suffered its only loss of the season in the Baltimore County championship game to New Town, four days after putting away the #4 Titans in the regular season finale. Otherwise, the Knights have been all but perfect this season, on both sides of the court.  

Senior guard Caron Smith is having another All-Met caliber season for the Knights, averaging 21 points per game. Smith scored a season-high 37 points in a win over #20 Dulaney. Junior guards Sincere Barfield and Josiah Legree compliment Smith in the Knights stellar backcourt. Barfield poured in 27 points in the Knights win over New Town. Legree scored 19 points in the win over Dulaney. Favor Okigweh, a 6’5 senior, patrols the middle for the Knights, and was selected to the Governors Challenge all-tournament team. 

The Knights did have to come from a double-digit deficit to overcome Perry Hall in the regional semifinals, and needed a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Legree to beat Dulaney in the regional final. The Knights found their biggest margin of victory in this post-season in their 59-49 win over DuVal in the state quarterfinals.  

The Knights are making their third straight Final Four bid, after falling just short of eventual 3A state champion Eleanor Roosevelt in the state semifinals last season, 59-57, seeing a ten point third quarter lead wash away. The Knights have been as successful as any program over the last three seasons, posting a 71-5 record over this span. The Knights average scoring 76.6 points per game, ranking fourth in the MPSSAA, producing a +25.5 point differential, ranking second in the MPSSAA. Coach Josh Czerski, who has led the resurgence of the Knights program, boasts a 114-33 in six seasons at Parkville.  

The Knights have four wins over teams that have advanced to the 2023 Final Four – #4 New Town, #6 Largo, #13 Aberdeen, and #17 Gaithersburg. 

Gaithersburg is making its second Final Four appearance in the last five seasons, advancing in 2018 behind freshman Jao Ituka (Wake Forest) and the help of his classmate Jordan Hawkins (UConn). It was the first time the Trojans had advanced to the state semifinals since winning the state championship in 1998. Ituka finished his Trojans career with 1,640 points, averaging 26 points per game in his senior season, but never made it back to ‘the dance’, with Hawkins transferring to DeMatha following his sophomore season.  

This season, the Trojans have their own two stars in 6’3 seniors Ben Bradford and Solomon Mensah. Bradford ranks second in the MPSSAA in scoring at 27 points per game, and Mensah, an All-County selection last season, has shook off some early season injury woes and averages 12 points and six rebounds per game. Bradford poured in 28 points in the two point loss to the Knights over the holidays.  The Trojans have bounced around the top 25 this season, from #7 to #24, seeing that lowest mark if the season when they dropped their final two games of the regular season.  

Since, the Trojans posted a 13 point win over Clarksburg in the regional semifinals, then registered a 25 point win over Urbana in the regional final, before taking an impressive 67-52 victory over Broadneck in the state semifinals. Coach Josh Holda, making his second trip to the Final Four with the Trojans, holds a 112-54 record over seven seasons at Gaithersburg.  

Parkville 

5 Caron Smith 6’2 SR 

2 Sincere Barfield 5’11 JR 

0 Josiah Legree 6’0 JR 

12 Favor Okigweh 6’5 SR 

Gaithersburg 

3 Ben Bradford 6’3 SR 

5 Solomon Mensah 6’3 SR  

2 DJ Mills 5’11 SR 

4 Xavier Blackmon 5’11 JR 

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#7 Meade (23-3) v #18 Sherwood (21-5) 

⁃Wednesday @ Blair 6:30 

Meade – Mike Glick 29th season 555-239 

Sherwood – Tom Sheahin 13th season 206-100 

Meade – O: 69.0 PA: 54.3 PD: +14.7 

Sherwood – O: 63.2 PA: 52.5 PD: +10.7 

Meade – v top 25 2-2, v top 50 4-2 

Sherwood – v top 25 1-2, v top 50 2-4 

The Mustangs are making their second straight trip to College Park, after surrendering a 14 point third quarter lead and losing to Churchill, 55-50, in last season’s state semifinals. The Mustangs dropped two of their last three regular season games, but did bounce back to win the Anne Arundel County championship game over Broadneck, and have allowed only 48.7 points per game in three post-season games. This is the fourth trip to College Park in eight seasons for the Mustangs, winning the 4A title and finishing 26-2 in ‘15, and finishing as runner-up a year later with a record of 23-4. This is the ninth time Meade has advanced to the state semifinals, advancing to the title game three times.  

Mike Glick is in his fourth season at Meade, though it’s his 29th season coaching high school in Maryland, with stops at Gwynn Park, Spalding, and Pallotti. Glick will be making his sixth trip to the Final Four, after talking Gwynn Park four times in ‘08, ‘10, ‘11, and ‘16, and the Mustangs last season. Glick boasts an overall record of 555-239 over his 29 seasons, and ranks 13th all-time among Maryland high school coaches in wins, and fifth among active coaches.  

The Mustangs provide a strong ‘1-2 punch’ in senior point guard Xavarian Roberson and senior 6’6 post Shawn Jones. Roberson was a star on last year’s regional champion team, and is having another great season, averaging 16.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. Jones leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Roberson scored 19 points and dished out six assists in the Mustangs quarterfinal win over Wootton, while Jones added 17 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Zamar Jones averages 8.7 points per game, and leads the ‘Stangs in three-pointers made, with 19. Zamar matched Roberson with a team-high 19 points in the quarterfinal win.  

Sherwood has produced one of the biggest turnarounds of any team in the MPSSAA this season, bouncing back from a 5-14 season to a 20-5, Final Four team. Coach Tom Sheahin is making his third trip to the Final Four, but first with the Warriors, after guiding Seneca Valley to ‘the dance’ in ‘06 and ‘09. Sheahin brought in former Springbrook coach Darnell Myers, who has tightened the Warriors defense, for a Warriors team that welcomed in four key transfers this season.  

Sophomore Evin Thompson was one of those transfers, and his impact has been immeasurable. Thompson scored a team-high 16 points in the Warriors convincing 62-46 win over Bowie in the quarterfinals. Senior transfers Isaiah Smith and Vincent Frene have been key to the Warriors success, as has 6’8 junior transfer Charles Hall-Taylor. Junior guard Micah Webb and senior guard Fontaine Green round out the starting five, with Smith coming off of the bench. The Warriors are coming off of a strong 16 point win over Bowie, a team that beat Wise (21-4) twice this season. 

The Warriors are making their tenth Final Four appearance since 2012. The Warriors have won two state champions, both in 4A, in ‘79 and ‘07. The ‘07 team was led by two-sport star Deontay Twyman, who scored 26 points in the Warriors 61-39 state title game victory over Magruder, this after the quarterback and his team had fell short in two straight state championships on the gridiron. 

Meade 

11 Xaviar Roberson 5’11 SR 

30 Shawn Jones 6’6 SR 

15 Zamar Jones 5’11 JR 

4 Kyree Scott 6’0 SR 

2 John Teague 6’3 SR  

Sherwood 

15 Evin Thompson 6’0 SO 

2 Micah Webb 5’9 JR 

32 Chris Hall-Taylor 6’8 JR 

1 Vincent Frene 6’2 SR 

3 Fontaine Green 5’9 SR 

12 Isaiah Smith 6’2 SR 

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3A State Semifinals 

#1 City College (26-0) v #13 Aberdeen (21-4) 

⁃Tuesday @ Blair 5:00 

City College – Omarr Smith 5th season 93-23 

Aberdeen – Bill Jones 3rd season 45-25 

City College – O: 77.4 PA: 42.9 PD: +34.5 

Aberdeen – O: 82.8 PA: 67.5 PD: +15.3 

City College – 6-0 v top 25, 8-0 v top 50 

Aberdeen – 1-2 v top 25, 3-3 v top 50 

This 3A state semifinal features the two highest scoring teams in the MPSSAA this season, with the top ranked Black Knights ranking second in scoring, at 77.9 points per game, and the Eagles of Aberdeen scoring a MPSSAA-best 82.8 points per game. The Black Knights are one of two undefeated teams in the MPSSAA, along with Frederick, who will be playing in the other 3A semifinal.  

Omarr Smith is in his fifth season at his alma mater, and has led the Black Knights to three straight 20-win seasons. Smith’s Knights advanced to the Final Four last season, before the young Knights suffered a heartbreaking 63-61 double-overtime loss to Huntingtown in the semifinals, seeing a nine point second half lead slip away. With four of those starters back, and a key private school transfer coming over to run the show, the Black Knights have the perfect ingredients to duplicate their 2014 edition, who won the 3A state championship and finished 28-0. That team finished ranked #19 in the country by USA Today. 

This team might not quite have the talent that team did, they went through the Baltimore City league unblemished like they did, enter the Final Four with an undefeated record, and are dominating just the way that team did. The Black Knights have registered a MPSSAA-best +34.5 point differential, nine points more than anyone else. The Black Knights are 6-0 versus top 25 competition, but have found stiff tests in their last two post-season games. In their 67-59 regional final win over arch rival Poly, the Black Knights found themselves trailing in the third quarter, and in the state quarterfinals, Centennial, who finished 12-11, had cut their margin to four, 50-46, with 3:49 to play, before securing a 66-53 victory.  

Senior Cam Horton is having a Player of the Year season, after seeing his Knights fall just short last season. Horton was at the line in the first overtime of that quarterfinal, down one point, shooting two shots, with two seconds to go. Hit the first, missed the second. He wants redemption. The 6’4 wing is averaging 20 points per game. Daniel Parsons, the senior point guard who came over from Mt Carmel, has been vital to the Black Knights success. Parsons scored a game-high 26 points in the Knights win over Lake Clifton. Seniors Kwon Johnson and Kyree Smith, and junior Trent Eboiremolen were part of the Black Knights starting unit last year, and are 46-3 as starters. Coach Smith was the leading scorer on the Black Knights first Final Four team in 1997.  

Aberdeen is coming with all gun blazing, averaging 84 points per game in four post-season games, slightly higher than their 82.8 points per game season average. The Eagles pulled out a tough 78-72 win on the road over 21-win Wilde Lake in the quarterfinals, after fighting back from a 23-4 deficit to start the game. All five starters, who all have double-digit scoring averages, played the entire 32 minutes in their quarterfinal win, in a game that was played at a very fast pace.  

Senior Tylan Bass ranks sixth in the MPSSAA in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game. Bass has connected on 64 three-pointers this season, yet still boasts a 48% field goal percentage. Darion Parris, a 6’4 junior forward, scored a team-high 22 points in the Eagles quarterfinal win, and averages 12.6 points per game, while shooting 56% from the floor. Arturas Brown, a 6’3 senior, averages 12.1 points per game, and leads the team in rebounding and assists, at clips of 9.0 and 4.9, respectively. Senior Tyseaun Rodgers scored 16 points in the quarterfinal win, averages 13.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game. Coach Bill Jones hold a 44-25 record in his third season as head coach of the Eagles. The Eagles are making their 17th Final Four appearance, but first since 2005. The 17 Final Four appearances are the ninth most in MPSSAA history.  

City College  

2 Cam Horton 6’4 SR 

5 Daniel Parsons 5’11 SR 

4 Kwon Johnson 6’0 SR 

3 Kyree Smith 6’3 SR 

1 Trent Eboiremolen 6’1 SO 

Aberdeen  

1 Tylan Bass 6’1 SR 

12 Darion Parris 6’4 JR 

3 Arturas Brown 6’3 SR 

2 Tyseaun Rodgers 6’2 SR 

23 Kenny Hunter 6’4 SO 

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2A State Semifinals 

#4 New Town (23-3) v #16 Wicomico (25-1) 

⁃Tuesday @ Wise 5:00 

New Town – Derek Wise 4th season 84-10 

Wicomico – Butch Waller 57th season 902-371 

New Town – O: 69.1 PA: 48.3 PD: +20.8 

Wicomico – O: 76.0 PA: 54.0 PD: +22.0 

New Town – 3-3 v top 25, 6-3 v top 50 

Wicomico – 0-0 v top 25, 7-1 v top 50 

Old school versus new school. Butch Waller is in his 57th season coaching ‘WiHi’, and making his 16th Final Four trip with the Tribe. Derek Wise is in his fourth season at New Town, and leading the Titans to a Final Four berth for the second time in three post-seasons. Waller won his 900th game in the Tribe’s 89-64 regional final win over Kent Island. Wise boasts an 84-10 record in his four seasons in New Town, which ranks among the top five of MPSSAA coaches in that time.  

The Titans are battle-tested, taking two early losses to the top two teams in the Baltimore Catholic League, and two of the top 50 teams in the country in Mt St Joe and St Maria Goretti. The Titans also took a win over 24-win Linden, who is ranked 12th in New Jersey, and went up to Pennsylvania in mid-January and came home with two wins over a pair of teams that finished with 20 wins or more. The Titans topped Dulaney, then fell short of Parkville in the regular season finale. Four days later, the Titans flipped the script and the margin, taking an eight point win after taking an eight point loss to the Knights.  

Senior guard Cam Sparrow is having an All-Met caliber season, and he has a quartet of fellow seniors around him that are Baltimore County champions, along with a talented sophomore. Senior guard Jaden Brown is having an All-County year, as is 6’5 senior Jamal Price. Seniors Arrington Greenfield and Jaleel Hawkins, and sophomore Justus Stanton, round out a sound half dozen for the Titans. Stanton scored a team-high 14 points in the win over #3 Parkville in the county championship game.  

Wise’s Titans were robbed of an opportunity to compete in the 2020 Final Four, after Covid wiped it out. The Titans also won the county championship that year. This is the eighth Final Four trip for the Titans, and fourth in nine post-seasons. The Titans won the 2A state title in 2017.  

Wicomico comes into the state semifinal showdown boasting a 25-1 record, a 76 point scoring average, and a point differential of +22.0, which ranks sixth in the MPSSAA. The Tribe hasn’t had the toughest strength of schedule, but they have won seven of eight versus top 50 competition. ‘WiHi’ handed Queen Anne’s County (19-3) all three of their losses this season, beat JM Bennett twice, and split with Decatur, who was one of the hottest teams in the MPSSAA, riding a 14 game win streak before losing to Damascus in the 3A quarterfinals.  

Like all of Waller’s teams, the Tribe gets up and goes. And, this year, ‘WiHi’s’ offense is propelled by the MPSSAA’s leading scorer, Antwan Williams, who is averaging 27.3 points per game. With the Tribe facing a six point fourth quarter deficit to Thomas Stone in the quarterfinals, Wilson poured in 19 of his game-high 43 points in the fourth quarter that led to a 63-59 victory. Senior Jaylin Dashiell-Andrews averages 13.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, while senior Malique Leatherbury, a MPSSAA All-State first team selection in football, averages 11.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. Coach Waller has coached in six state final games, winning a state championship in 2002. The Tribe’s last trip to the finals was in 2019, when they topped Oakdale in the semifinal, before falling to Patterson in the title game. Waller, second only to the legendary Morgan Wootten among Maryland high school coaches in wins, has an all-time record of 902-371.  

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1A State Semifinals 

#19 Edmondson (18-7) v #25 Fort Hill (22-2)  

⁃Wednesday @ R Montgomery 5:00 

Edmondson – Darnell Dantzler 15th season 258-99 

Fort Hill – Thad Burner 11th season 132-112 

Edmondson – O: 64.9 PA: 49.5 PD: +15.4 

Fort Hill – O: 72.5 PA: 47.3 PD: +25.2 

Edmondson – 2-4 v top 25, 4-4 v top 50 

Fort Hill – 0-0 v top 25, 1-1 v top 50 

Edmondson is making its third straight trip to the Final Four, and sixth trip in the last ten post-seasons under coach Darnell Dantzler. Edmondson won back-to-back state titles in ‘13 and ‘14, made the finals in ‘17, saw their state semifinal game disappear due to Covid in 2020, and lost to league rival Lake Clifton in last season’s state final game. This season, the Storm advanced to the Baltimore City championship game, and lost in the final minute to undefeated City College. The Red Storm were the only team other than City College to beat Poly (20-3) this season.Dantzler’s son, Darnell Jr, is a dynamic sophomore who leads the Red Storm. Dantzler is joined in the backcourt by Kyrie Sherrod, with 6’6 Chase Foster and 6’7 Markus Jackson in the paint.  

Fort Hill is having their best season since 2008, when they advanced to the Final Four, before losing to Surrattsville, 83-64 in the state semifinals, and finished 20-4. The Sentinels are looking for a state basketball trophy to join the state championship trophy ‘Big Red’ won on the gridiron in December. Mikey Allen, an All-State selection in football, transferred from Bishop Walsh to play his senior season of football with his friends, is the Sentinels top player, after playing at Walsh for three years. Allen scored 22 points and dished out four assists in the Sentinels 83-26 rout of Smithsburg. Anthony Burns us an outside threat for the Sentinels, and averaged nearly 20 points per game in ‘22, before Allen arrived. Owen Seifarth, at 6’5, patrols the middle for ‘Big Red’. The Sentinels, who connected on 11 three-pointers in the first half of their quarterfinal win, have made 194 beyond the arc this season, averaging 8.1 made three-pointers per game. 

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#12 Lake Clifton (20-4) v CMIT North (17-5) 

⁃Wednesday @ R Montgomery 7:30 

Lake Clifton – Herman ‘Tree’ Harried 25th season 505-137 

CMIT North – N/A 

Lake Clifton – O:62.6 PA: 45.3 PD: +17.3 

CMIT North – O: 58.5 PA: 50.9 PD: +7.6 

Lake Clifton – 2-4 v top 25, 6-4 v top 50 

CMIT North – 0-0 v top 25, 0-3 v top 50 

Coach Hernan Harried and Lake Clifton are looking to win their fourth straight title, after winning the 2A title in ‘18, the 1A title in ‘19, and then again last year, over Edmondson. The Lakers won a regional championship in 2020, before the Final Four was abruptly cancelled. Harried won his 500th career game earlier this month, and boasts an overall record of 505-137 over 25 seasons with the Lakers. Lake Clifton won their first state title in 1995, and have since made 13 of their 14 Final Four appearances with Harried. Quinton Monroe, an All-Met selection last year, leads the way for the Lakers, with Krisopher Mitchell playing a huge role. Mitchell scored 22 points in the Lakers loss to top ranked City College. 

CMIT North plays a freelance schedule, but did play three Prince Georges top 50 teams very tough – losing by two to Oxon Hill in early December, losing by two to Suitland, and losing by eight to Fairmont Heights.