Maryland Private School State Basketball Tournament Enters Semifinal Rounds

Two boys state semifinals and two girls state semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday evening at Elizabeth Seton

MPSSBT

The semifinals of the Maryland Private Schools State Basketball Tournament are set for Wednesday at Elizabeth Seton High.

The boys’ Final Four will feature Bullis School, Clifton Grace Christian, DeMatha Catholic and Mount Zion Prep. Bishop McNamara, Bullis, St. Frances Academy and Mount Zion Prep are the girls semifinalists.

Here’s the preview of Wednesday’s action and top performances from the quarterfinals.

GIRLS SEMIFINALS

Mount Zion Prep vs. Bishop McNamara

The defending MPSSBT champ Mustangs, who recently received an invite to “The Throne” national tournament at the end of the month, haven’t loss to a DMV team this season. The Prince George’s County (Md.) school, No. 1 all in the season in High School on SI Maryland Top 25, were  perfect in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play.

Mount Zion Prep, which plays an independent schedule, has a diverse resume featuring Maryland Top 20 wins against Charles Herbert Flowers, Riverdale Baptist School, Rosedale Christian Academy, St. Vincent Pallotti. Add Elizabeth Seton to the Warriors’ list after Tuesday’s quarterfinal effort.  

Bullis School vs. St. Frances Academy

The Panthers have been perennially Baltimore’s top team under Jerome Shelton who won his 700th game a couple of weeks ago. St. Frances, which won the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) A Conference title for a record 14th time, hasn’t lost to a Maryland team this season.

The Bulldogs, who lost to McNamara in last year’s final, were Independent School League runner-ups to nationally-ranked Sidwell Friends School (D.C.). Bullis beat Sidwell twice during the regular season, and lost by only six points to McNamara in December.

BOYS SEMIFINALS

Clinton Grace Christian vs. Mount Zion Prep 

Clinton Grace, in its first MPSSBT, outlasted Bishop McNamara in Monday’s quarterfinals. The trio of Mark Jones, J’lon Lyons and Khalib Norcome combined for 41 points. 

Mount Zion Prep, the tournament’s top-seed and the inaugural MPSSBT champ in 2023, outscored Riverdale Baptist School, 35-23 in the second half. The trio of Francis Folefac, Sol Vita and Jerome Williams combined for 46 points. 

Bullis School vs. DeMatha Catholic

This is the highly-anticipated rematch of last year’s MPSSBT final. The Stags, ranked No. 2 in this week’s High School on SI Maryland Top 25, pulled away from Glenelg Country School in the second half of Monday’s quarterfinals.

Bullis, which opened the season at No. 1 in the Maryland poll, went on a 20-10 first half run and didn’t look back against Interstate Athletic Conference rival Georgetown Prep. The IAC champ Bulldogs have won eight straight.

In the best game in the short history of the MPSSBT, DeMatha outlasted Bullis, 74-68, in double overtime to win the 2024 crown. 

TOP QUARTERFINAL PERFORMANCES 

Boys

Pat Curtin, Glenelg Country School: The 6-foot-2 Bucknell University-bound guard finished his stellar career with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds in the Dragons’ loss to DeMatha Catholic.

Francis Folefac, Mount Zion Prep: Folefac, a 6-foot-7 forward bound to Siena, finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in Mount Zion’s win over Riverdale Baptist School.

Ashton Meeks, DeMatha Catholic: The 6-foot junior guard and the 2024 MPSSBT Outstanding Boys Player, had 26 points including six 3-pointers in the Stags’ win over Glenelg Country School.

Khalid Norcome, Clinton Grace Christian: Norcome, a 6-foot-6 junior wing, had 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals as the Eagles outlasted Bishop McNamara.

Qayden Samuels, Bishop McNamara: The 6-foot-5 junior forward widely regarded as the state’s best in the Class of 2026, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in the Mustangs’ loss to Clinton Grace.

Jacob Wallace, DeMatha Catholic: The 5-foot-10 senior guard filled the stat sheet with seven points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and two assists in the Stags’ win over Glenelg Country. 

Jerome Williams, Mount Zion Prep: Williams, a 6-foot senior guard, had a game-high 22 points along with five rebounds and four assists in the Warriors win over Riverdale Baptist School. 

Girls

Zhen Craft, Bishop McNamara: Craft, a 6-foot-2 University of Georgia-bound forward and the 2024 MPSSBT Most Outstanding Girls Player, finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds as McNamara began their title defense with a rout of WCAC rival St. Mary’s Ryken. 

Zoe Osby, Elizabeth Seton: Osby, a 6-foot-1 junior forward, posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Roadrunners, who fell to Mount Zion in the best match of Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

Sydney Sutton, St. Frances Academy: The 5-foot-8 junior guard had a quarterfinal-best 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in St. Frances’ win over Rosedale Christian Academy.

Tiara Thompson, Mount Zion Prep: Thompson, a 5-foot junior guard had a game-high 22 points and five steals as Mount Zion rallied in the fourth quarter to eliminate Elizabeth Seton. 

Meghan Yarnevich, Bullis School: The 6-foot-2 center who’s headed to Georgia, had 25 points, five blocks and four rebounds in the Bulldogs’ rout of Riverdale Baptist School.

Heidi Williams, St. Frances Academy: The 6-foot University of Maryland-Baltimore County-bound forward finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as the Panthers won their ninth straight contest.

Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka, Bullis School: The 6-foot-1 sophomore forward posted a double-double of 21 points and 19 rebounds as the Bulldogs dominated Riverdale Baptist.

RESULTS/SCHEDULE

Monday March 3

Boys quarterfinals at Mount Zion Prep

No. 3 seed Bullis School 68, No. 6 Georgetown Prep 47

No. 2 DeMatha Catholic 75, No. 7 Glenelg Country School 63

No. 4 Clinton Grace Christian School 66, No. 5 Bishop McNamara 61

No. 1 Mount Zion Prep 61, No. 

Tuesday March 4

Quarterfinals at Elizabeth Seton

No. 4 Mount Zion Prep 58, No. 5 Elizabeth Seton 53

No. 1 Bishop McNamara 76, No. 8 St. Mary’s Ryken 32

No. 2 St. Frances Academy 75, No. 7 Rosedale Christian Academy 46

No. 3 Bullis School 75, No. 6 Riverdale Baptist School 36

Wednesday March 5

Semifinals at Elizabeth Seton

Girls

Mount Zion vs. McNamara, 4 p.m.

Bullis vs. St. Frances Academy, 5:40 p.m.

Boys

Bullis vs. DeMatha, 7:20 p.m.

Clinton Grace Christian vs. Mount Zion, 9 p.m

Friday March 7

Championship at Eleanor Roosevelt

Girls final - Mount Zion/McNamara winner vs. Bullis/St. Frances winner, 6:15 p.m.

Boys final - Bullis/DeMatha winner vs.  Clinton Grace Christian/Mount Zion winner, 8:15 p.m.