SEED School Makes History, Whitman Girls Return to Glory at Maryland State Finals

Khaled Al-Mateen’s redemption fuels SEED’s first-ever title, while Walt Whitman caps dominant season with 4A championship win over Richard Montgomery.

SEED School's Khaled Al-Mateen is airborne for an eventual dunk during the first quarter of Wednesday's Maryland Class 1A state boys basketball title game at UMBC. It was the first of his game-high 24 points for the Sabers, who won their first title with a 66-56 decision over Cambridge-South Dorchester. | Jimmy Fields Jr.

CATONSVILLE., MARYLAND - It was redemption for SEED School of Maryland and a return to glory for Walt Whitman on the final day of the Maryland state public basketball championships at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County’s Chesapeake Employees Insurance Arena Wednesday.

Whitman, ranked No. 19 in the most recent High School on SI Maryland girls Top 25, defeated Richard Montgomery, 51-40, in the Class 4A final. Kaylah Tchofua had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Whitman.

SEED School captured the Class 1A boys crown with a 66-56 victory over Cambridge-South Dorchester. Khaled Al-Mateen finished with a game-high 24 points for SEED.

Here’s some takeaways from the fourth and final day of the Maryland state public championships:

SEED School Makes History 

After a heartbreaking overtime loss in last year’s 1A final, SEED School put together a rousing second half effort to claim its first state title and end Cambridge-South Dorchester’s repeat bid.

“Amazing journey. Not just one season, but this is my fifth year, so we’ve been building,” SEED coach Eddie Green Jr. said. “We came up short last year, lost by three in overtime, and the toughest thing was getting back, having that focus, maintaining that focus and then intention of getting back to this point right here.”

Seed School made history with its Maryland Class 1A boys basketball state championship. | Derek Toney

Last year, at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center, SEED lost, 36-33, to Cambridge. The Sabers led with a minute left in regulation and didn’t score in overtime.

SEED (21-4 overall), which doubled its 2025 title game output Wednesday, scored 27 points in the third quarter. Omar Williams chipped in 13 points and five rebounds as the Sabers led by as many as 24 points.

It’s the first championship in any sport for SEED School, a college-preparatory boarding school in Southwest Baltimore. Last season, SEED upset then two-time defending 1A state champ and undefeated Edmondson-Westside in the semifinals.

The Sabers defeated Edmondson in a highly intense state quarterfinal match a couple of weeks ago, and collected regular season wins over eventual state final four squads Baltimore City College (3A), Middletown (2A) and eventual Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) B Conference champ Saint Paul’s School.

Early Wednesday evening, SEED celebrated the program’s greatest moment with their supporters who filled a couple of sections behind their bench. 

“Tomorrow morning, I’m probably going to wake up and be like ‘Yo, it wasn’t a dream’ because I’m thinking this whole time, please don’t wake up, please don’t wake up,” said Deandre Terry. “I dream about this every day, every day.”

Al-Mateen Shakes off Nightmarish 2025 with Stellar Effort

What a difference a year made for Khalid Al-Mateen. After having his worst game in last year’s championship game, the 6-2 senior guard sparked SEED’s third quarter breakout. 

“It feels amazing,” Al-Mateen said. “We came up short last year, and it was the worst feeling I’ve ever felt. So to be back in this situation and win and that we played the team we lost to last year, it was crazy. I can’t describe it.”

Khaled Al-Mateen was impressive in leading SEED School of Maryland to the Maryland Class 1A state title. The senior guard had a game-high 24 points as the Sabers ended Cambridge-South Dorchester’s title reign with a 66-56 victory at UMBC. | Derek Toney

It was indescribable this time a year ago. Al-Mateen, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the semifinals, went 1-of-17 (missed all five 3-point attempts) and had nine turnovers in the championship game. 

His redemption got off to a rousing start Wednesday with a steal and dunk inside the first 90 seconds. But, with 3 minutes, 24 seconds left in the opening period, Al-Mateen was on the bench with two fouls. 

He returned for the second quarter and the Sabers began to surge. Al-Mateen scored eight points in the frame, capped with a jumper with a second left on the shot clock, giving SEED a 26-25 halftime advantage.

The Sabers never trailed again. Al-Mateen poured in eight more points in the third, including a pair of 3-pointers. 

His final line: 9-of-17 from the field, 4-for-4 on free throws, three rebounds and two turnovers.

“I just had to keep a strong mentality, so I could keep playing and help my team,” said Al-Mateen, who play for Saint Mary’s College next season. I didn’t want to hurt my team, so when I came in I just did what I could to help us win.”

Cambridge-South Dorchester’s Repeat Bid Falls Short

A season of change ended in a familiar position for Cambridge-South Dorchester, which played in its third consecutive state final. The Vikings won their first title since 1996 with last year’s overtime decision over SEED.

Despite showing grit down the stretch, Cambridge-South Dorchester wasn’t able to overcome SEED’s big early second half push. K’Marion Hall and Thomas Wilson each scored 15 points for the Vikings (19-5).

“They were a little more prepared than we were and that starts with me,” said Cambridge-South Dorchester coach Reggie Parker. “They made us uncomfortable us.”

Parker replaced Shawn Tucker as coach. Tucker, who guided to the Vikings to the 2025 1A title and the 2024 final, left to become an assistant at Salisbury University.

The Vikings returned Sterling Perkins, Wilson, Hall and Semaj Pinder from last season’s starting rotation.  Perkins, whose 3-point play with 0.4 seconds left in overtime clinched the title last year, hit the lead basket late in regulation in last week’s semifinal win over Patterson Mill.

Perkins, who had 11 points and four steals Wednesday, played his final varsity game with Thomas, Wilson, Tahjere Pritchett and Veonte Ashley. Hall will headline five returning letter winners next season.

“You don’t see teams go (to state finals) three years in a row so it’s big,” said Perkins. “We didn’t come out on the best end, but we made it here.”

Three the Hard Way for Whitman Girls

It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season. The challenge for Walt Whitman was probably more daunting Wednesday in the Class 4A title match.

For the third time in less than a month, the Vikings (26-2) bested Richard Montgomery in an all-Montgomery County final. Whitman led wire-to-wire to claim its first state championship since 2016.

The Walt Whitman girls defeated Richard Montgomery to win the 2026 Maryland Class 4A state championship game. | Derek Toney

“It’s really surreal…just love these people to my right and all the sacrifices that they made,” said longtime Whitman coach Peter Kenah. “I’m just so excited that they got to share the experience, and you see all the joy...you just don’t see all the time that they’ve put into it.”

The Bethesda (Md.) school did not lose to an in-state opponent. The Vikings’ only setbacks came against  Pennsylvania’s Haverford School and Delaware’s Caravel Academy at the Governor’s Challenge during Christmas break. 

Their final obstacle Wednesday was Richard Montgomery, which they defeated (65-59) in the Montgomery County league title game Feb. 25 after a  78-55 rout in the regular season match eight days earlier.

“We knew we could win, but it was a matter of heart,” said Whitman senior guard Kathryn Marquardt. “I told the girls our biggest challenge was going to be complacency.”

The Vikings got out to a 17-5 lead in the first quarter before Richard Montgomery closed to within 30-29 midway in the third. Whitman answered with a 17-3 run, leaving it with a commanding 15-point advantage with less than two minutes left in regulation.

Kaylah Tchofua led the way as Walt Whitman won its first Maryland Class 4A title since 2016. The 5-foot-9 posted a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds in the championship game against Richard Montgomery. | Derek Toney

Though Marquardt and Tchofua were the veteran anchors, Whitman received major contributions from underclassmen like Rajhi (freshman) and Leela (sophomore) Patel and sophomores Raquel Cruz and Gabi Stone.

“This moment is so special,” Vikings senior guard Kathryn Marquardt said. “We all played for each other and I think that’s what makes this team so incredibly special.”

Richard Montgomery Relishes Historic Run

For the first time since 1996, Richard Montgomery was on the court in the final week of the Maryland high school basketball season. The Rockets started slow, falling behind double-digits in the first before clawing their way back into contention entering the final quarter.

The Rockville school didn’t score its first points in the fourth until the under-two minute mark. By that time, Whitman was on a clear path to the trophy.

The Rockets (23-5) have a lot to celebrate with three straight Montgomery County division titles and three straight regional crowns, in addition to its first state final trip since outlasting Frederick Douglass-Prince George’s County in overtime for the 1996 Class 3A crown. 

“Like I told these guys before the game, they’ve made history for our school. Nobody can take that away from them,” said Rockets coach Mike Oakes. “Obviously, we were hoping to add the exclamation point.”

Katie Diao finished with 20 points and nine rebounds for Richard Montgomery. The Yale University-bound guard has been the centerpiece for the Rockets’ resurgence.

“I think it’s been a learning experience,” said Diao. “When I arrived as freshman, I was young and inexperienced. I’ve really grown over the past four years…being able to get that exclamation point, reaching the state finals for the first time in 30 years is really special.”

Wednesday’s championship best 

Here’s the Class 1A boys and 4A girls all-tournament teams as selected by Derek Toney

CLASS 1A BOYS

Most Outstanding Player - Khaled Al-Mateen, SEED School of Maryland

Al-Mateen’s redemption was the fuel to SEED’s historic championship. The 6-foot-2 senior had 24 points in the title game after scoring just two in the 2025 final. Al-Mateen, who will play at Saint Mary’s College of Maryland next season, had 14 points in the Sabers’ semifinal win over Chesapeake Math & IT Academy North. 

All-tournament team

K’Marion Hall, Cambridge-South Dorchester, 6-3. Junior, forward

James Hammond, Patterson Mill, 6-3, senior, forward

Amir Morton, Chesapeake Math & IT Academy North, 6-0, senior, guard

Semaj Pinder, Cambridge-South Dorchester, 6-5, senior, forward

Omar Williams, SEED School of Maryland, 6-6, senior, center

CLASS 4A GIRLS

Most Outstanding Player - Kaylah Tchoufa, Walt Whitman

Tchoufa’s dominant play in the paint was the catalyst for Whitman’s first championship since 1996. The 5-9 senior forward had 14 points and a finals-tying best 13 rebounds in the Vikings’ title game triumph over Richard Montgomery. Tchuofa finished with 16 points in the Whitman’s semifinal win against Charles Herbert Flowers.

All-tournament team

Madison Byrd, Western, 5-11, senior, guard

Katie Diao, Richard Montgomery, 5-9, senior, guard

Alana Joy, Charles Herbert Flowers, 5-9, senior, forward

Kathryn Marquardt, Walt Whitman, 5-9, senior, guard

Rajhi Patel, Walt Whitman, 5-6, freshman, guard