Pikesville Tops Southern in 1A- Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pikesville Panthers of Baltimore County won their 5th straight state championship with a hard-fought win over a tough Southern-Garrett team that reached the championship game last year as well. The final score was 67-62 in a back and forth, exciting encounter. Here are the top performers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='820854' first='Maya' last='Chase'], Pikesville, 2027, Guard</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maya was sneaky good in this game and the in the playoffs in general. She put up 10 points and 8 rebounds and played excellent defense, while playing almost the entire game. She's a tone setter and can be counted on to give her team extra possessions every game by crashing the boards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569087' first='Mariah' last='Jones-Bey'], Pikesville, 2026, Point Guard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior point guard would not let her team lose in this one. She scored a game high 21 points and never came off the court. She only shot 5 for 14 from the field, but she was 11 for 15 from the foul line and came up clutch whenever her team needed a spark. She also chipped in 3 assists and 2 steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nyjae Malik El, Pikesville, 2026, Guard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nyjae was a big problem for Southern in this game. After transferring in from Forest Park she quickly became one of Pikesville's most important players. She created havoc on defense with six steals, while putting 19 points on the scoreboard. The shifty guard used her speed and athleticism and uncanny knack for stealing the ball to frustrate Southern all day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1056942' first='Kelsey' last='Ward'], Southern, 2027, Wing </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I thought Kelsey had a strong game before fouling out in this one. She was efficient, going 6-9 from the floor and made several big shots to keep her team in the game. She battled inside and held up pretty well defensively on the perimeter. She finished with a team high 12 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jocelyn Ward, Southern, 2028, Forward/Guard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jocelyn is a versatile six-footer with good size and length. She contributed 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists and did not look like she was phased by the moment. We could see her come back next year and be a real difference maker if these teams square off again. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->