Pikesville Captures the Baltimore County Title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pikesville took home the Baltimore County championship by a 51-44 score over a tough New Town squad in a home game. Pikesville's starting backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id='569087' first='Mariah' last='Jones-Bey'] and Korai Bowen set the tone early for the Panthers by constantly pushing the ball up the court in the first quarter and putting pressure on New Town's defense. Both guards hit three pointers in the quarter to help Pikesville take a 12-6 lead after one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second quarter saw New Town answer with their own run as [player_tooltip player_id='332119' first='Nialah' last='Mingo'] scored 11 points in the quarter and guard Nasia Hart scored a layup at the buzzer to tie the game at 26 at the break. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior wing Jayda Mayles opened the second half with a pair of three pointers and the Panthers really pounded the boards to take control. Ty Hill and [player_tooltip player_id='304370' first='Aliyah' last='Taylor'] both scored off put backs and it was 44-33 after three with the Panthers in control. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Town was not going away quietly though and started to turn up the heat on defense. They were able to cut the lead to 4 with a big 3 by [player_tooltip player_id='433862' first='Makiah' last='Pollard'] but couldn't get any closer than that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569087' first='Mariah' last='Jones-Bey'], Pikesville, 2025 Combo Guard</strong>- </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":602901,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/20230221_200416.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-602901" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mariah turned in one of her best performances of the season. She came out with energy from the opening tip and never let up. She put constant pressure on New Town's defense by attacking the basket when there were openings and knocking down outside shots. She applied pressure on defense and did a good job of handling the ball and getting her teammates involved. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Korai Bowen, Pikesville, 2023, Combo Guard</strong>-</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":602902,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/20230221_200422.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-602902" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Korai only scored 3 points but I thought she was really good in this game. She ran the offense effectively and kept the turnovers to a minimum. She was good on defense as well, disrupting at the point of attack and coming up with several steals and deflections. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='304370' first='Aliyah' last='Taylor'], Pikesville, 2024, Power Forward</strong>- Aliyah has been a menace on defense most of the season. She turned in her usual stellar performance on that end of the court, but she also chipped in 13 points, including a dagger three-pointer with 19 seconds left that sealed the deal. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='332119' first='Nialah' last='Mingo'], New Town, 2024, Shooting Guard</strong>- Nialah scored a game high 15 points and showed why she is one of the best scorers in the county. She is very dangerous off the bounce and is a threat from long distance as well, so defenses are always off guard with her. She kept the Titans in this one until the end. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nasia Hart, New Town, 2024, Guard</strong>- Nasia had a strong game. She scored 10 points and was all over the court all night. She brought energy and intensity from the jump ball and helped New Town make a couple of runs to stay in this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->