IAAM 2025 girls basketball postseason preview

We preview this week's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland quarterfinals

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The Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) basketball postseason starts Monday with quarterfinal action. St. Frances Academy (A), Mount de Sales Academy (B) and Glenelg Country School (C) are the top seeds in their respective conferences.

Here's three questions surrounding the A playoffs where St. Frances and McDonogh have dominated in recent years.

Is it St. Frances Academy against the field?

A resounding yes. The Panthers (21-4 overall) not only went undefeated (16-0) in IAAM A play, they won their matches by an average of 20 points. The Baltimore (Md.) squad’s four overall losses this season have been a total of 28 points.

Can McDonogh School make a run at a fourth straight championship?

It’s been a season of adjustment for the Eagles (14-11), who graduated a talented senior class including Kennedy Umoh (Stanford) and Ava McKenzie (Maryland) last season and star guard Amber Fleary transferred to Sidwell Friends School (D.C.) during the offseason. McDonogh, which saw longtime coach Brad Rees step down and assistant Terri Daniels take the reins, lost six league games during the regular season (one more than they had in the previous four full seasons combined). The young Eagles have gradually improved, winning eight straight before dropping back-to-back decisions to St. Frances to end the regular season.

Is there a team primed to end the McDonogh/St. Frances title game dance?

St. Frances and McDonogh have played in the last three championship games, but the other four teams in this year’s six-team field have a shot to reach Sunday’s title match. 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (15-9), in its third season in the A, is the No. 2 seed, including a sweep of St. Vincent Pallotti. Pallotti (14-11), the No. 3 seed, swept McDonogh during the regular season and losses to Mount Carmel were just by a total of six points. 

No. 5 seed St. Timothy's School (13-10), which tied for last with Mount Carmel a season ago, went 8-8 in league play including wins over McDonogh and Pallotti. Pallotti played in the 2020 final (lost to St. Frances).

No team other than St. Frances and McDonogh has won the IAAM A championship since Spalding in 2013.

IAAM BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Monday February 10

Quarterfinals

A Conference

No. 5 seed St. Timothy's School at No. 4 McDonogh School

No. 6 Archbishop Spalding at No. 3 St. Vincent Pallotti

B Conference

No. 8 Gerstell Academy at No. 1 Mount de Sales Academy

No. 5 Indian Creek School at No. 4 Severn School

No. 6 St. John’s Catholic Prep at No. 3 Notre Dame Prep

No. 7 St. Paul’s School at No. 2 John Carroll
C Conference

No. 5 Catholic High of Baltimore vs. No. 4 Garrison Forest School

No. 6 Beth Tfiloh School at No. 3 Concordia Prep

Thursday February 13

Semifinals

A Conference

St. Timothy's/McDonogh winner at No. 1 St. Frances Academy

Spalding/Pallotti winner at No. 2 Our Lady of Mount Carmel

B Conference

Gerstell/Mount de Sales winner vs. Indian Creek/Severn winner (at higher seed)

St. John’s Catholic Prep/Notre Dame Prep winner vs. St. Paul’s/John Carroll winner (at higher seed)

C Conference

Catholic/Garrison Forest winner at No. 1 Glenelg Country School

Beth Tfiloh/Concordia Prep winner at No. 2 Park School

Sunday February 16

Championship at Howard Community College

A Conference 

St. Timothy's or McDonogh/St. Frances winner vs. Spalding or Pallotti/Mount Carmel winner, 2 p.m.

C Conference

Catholic or Garrison Forest/Glenelg Country winner vs. Beth Tfiloh or Concordia Prep/Park winner, 4 p.m.

B Conference

Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.

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