Tense back and forth battles ruled the day on Saturday as three teams successfully defended last year's state titles and five other new state champions were crowned on the final day of the winter sports season. The prestigious Mildred H. Murray Sportsmanship Award went to the Bethesda Chevy-Chase Girls and the Jack Willard Sportsmanship Award was awarded to the Clear Spring Boys. Congratulations to not only those teams and coaches, but to their spectators as well for "Respecting the Game". Don't forget that you can relive every exciting moment of championship Saturday on the NFHS Network. On-demand viewing is free and available within 72 hours as are DVD purchases, so don't miss out! Select the links below to view the complete State Championship results, official game statistics, and the complete brackets for each classification.
The Frederick Girls won their second consecutive title in Class 3A while the Poolesville Girls (2A) won their first state crown ever in the first tournament appearance in school history. Rounding out the day at SECU Arena were the Eleanor Roosevelt Girls prevailing in Class 4A for their eighth crown and the Southern-Garrett Girls in Class 1A for a fourth state title.
Over at Xfinity Center, the Perry Hall Boys (4A) and the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Boys (3A) held on to retain their second consecutive state crowns while the Lake Clifton Boys won their fifth state title in Class 2A and the Paul Laurence Dunbar Boys (1A) won their sixteenth state championship.
We cannot thank our Boys and Girls State Basketball Committees enough for their laborious efforts throughout the season with a special thanks to committee directors Earl Hawkins and Lynette Mitzel and tournament directors Jeff Sullivan and Diane George. Our thanks also go out to the University of Maryland Athletics Department and staff for their cooperation and assistance in hosting the boys tournament at Xfinity Center as well as the Towson University's SECU Arena staff for their support in hosting the girls tournament. To all of the tournament workers, region tournament directors, and athletic directors who are the "team" working behind the scenes, we cannot thank you enough for all of your time and effort on behalf of our student-athletes. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!