Predicting the winners of the Maryland (MPSSAA) high school boys basketball state semifinals

There are eight games featuring 16 teams across 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A

Cam Ward and Largo look to continue their quest to repeat. / Largo Basketball Instagram: James R. Johnson III

The MPSSAA boys basketball state semifinals are set to take place in Maryland on Tuesday, March 11, and Wednesday, March 12. There will be eight games featuring 16 teams across 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A.

Below you will see previews and predictions for every game.

MPSSAA boys basketball predictions

Class 4A

No. 1 Laurel vs. No. 4 Meade, 6 p.m. Wednesday at Henry A. Wise High School

Top-seeded Laurel advanced past Merganthaler 74-62 in the state quarterfinals, and Meade extended its win streak to 21 with a dominant 72-49 quarterfinal victory over Leonardtown.

While the No. 1-seeded Spartans have done a great job making it this far, the Mustangs have blown out each opponent by 22 or more points in the playoffs to continue their win streak.

Prediction: Meade

No. 2 C.H. Flowers vs. No. 3 Whitman, 6 p.m. Wednesday at North Point High School

C.H. Flowers crushed defending champion Frederick 76-55 to advance to the semifinals, and Whitman barely slipped past Springbrook in a 61-58 thriller thanks to Titian DeRosa's 26 points and winning basket and free throw.

The Jaguars are trying to continue their hot run with head coach Brian Brooks, but Chris Lun's Vikings have come through in the clutch and are looking to make it back to the state championship game.

Prediction: Whitman

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Class 3A

No. 1 Sherwood vs. No. 4 Old Mill, 6 p.m. Tuesday at Montgomery Blair High School

Sherwood surged past Rockville (70-55), Magruder (77-42), a red-hot Blake team (55-47) and Atholton (78-32) as Thomas Sheahin's Warriors look to dominate their way to the state final.

Old Mill blew out Severn Run (71-36) and narrowly escaped Howard (81-78), Mt. Hebron (55-51) and Oxon Hill (58-56). Senior Brian Poore and the Patriots will be trying to pull off a surprise and make it a close game.

Prediction: Sherwood

No. 3 Baltimore City College vs. No. 7 Milford Mill, 7 p.m. Tuesday at New Town High School

Baltimore CIty College made it to the semifinals after defeating Bel Air (79-45), Edgewood (55-43) and North Hagerstown (64-50), and Daryl Wade's Black Knights are hoping to win their first state title since 2023.

Originally a regional No. 4 seed, Milford Mill has been on a remarkable run with wins over Catonsville (48-39), Overlea (66-56) and Franklin (47-44), followed by a 71-63 win over No. 2 seed South River in the quarterfinals. Lyndon Reid's Millers are looking to continue their Cinderella run.

Prediction: Baltimore City College

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Class 2A

No. 1. New Town vs. No. 4 Middletown, 6 p.m. Wednesday at New Town High School

Top-seeded New Town is coming off regional wins over Hereford (71-32) and Carver Vocational-Technical (70-57) and a quarterfinal win over Maurice J. McDonough (48-37). Derek Wise's squad has had a dominant season with a record of 26-1.

Middletown is the lowest seed in the 2A semifinals; the team beat Walkersville (56-43), Williamsport (71-64) and Kent Island (57-51) to make it this far. Jon Jarrett's Knights will try to hand New Town its second loss of the season.

Prediction: New Town

No. 2 Paul Laurence Dunbar vs. No. 3 Largo, 6 p.m. Wednesday at Thomas Johnson High School

Dunbar is coming off lopsided wins over Sparrows Point (83-26) and Eastern Tech (68-31) in the regional rounds, followed by a close 50-47 victory over C. Milton Wright in the state quarterfinals. The Poets are led by head coach Dana Johnson, who is also the school's athletic director.

High-scoring Largo continues its road to repeat as 2A champion after beating Potomac (89-57), Fairmont Heights (91-75), Henry E. Lackey (69-66) and Southern (86-53). Lions senior and Michigan State commit Cam Ward made history by becoming MPSSAA's all-time leading scorer for high school basketball.

Prediction: Largo

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Class 1A

No. 1 Cambridge-South Dorchester vs. No. 4 Liberty, 5 p.m. Tuesday at Henry A. Wise High School

Cambridge-SD has won an impressive 32 games this season, including close regional wins over Pocomoke (67-66) and Snow Hill (64-61) and a quarterfinal victory over Fort Hill (53-44). Shawn Tucker's Vikings are attempting to make it back-to-back trips to the 1A state final.

Liberty has had some strong regional playoff wins over Smithsburg (67-50) and South Carroll (66-53), as well as a dominant 76-47 quarterfinal victory over Colonel Richardson. The Lions' semifinal matchup against Cambridge-SD likely won't be as lopsided.

Prediction: Cambridge-SD

No. 2 Edmondson-Westside vs. No. 3 SEED School, 7 p.m. Wednesday at Henry A. Wise High School

Edmondson-Westside is 26-0 this season and has defeated ACACE (76-31), Benjamin Franklin (66-53) and CMITAN (75-57) in the 1A tournament. Darnell Dantzler Sr.'s Red Storm look to continue their road to perfection and repeat as 1A state champions.

SEED School barely got by WTES (58-44), Loch Raven (48-43) and Patterson (43-40) in the playoffs. The team will have a tough challenge against undefeated Edmondson-Westside in this 1A semifinal matchup.

Prediction: Edmondson-Westside

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