As the 2024-25 high school basketball season tips off, Maryland is once again showcasing some of the most competitive and talented teams in the nation. From powerhouse private programs competing on the national stage to dominant public school squads chasing state championships, this year promises thrilling action across the board.

At the top of the rankings, Bullis School leads the pack with a star-studded roster, while Bishop McNamara and Georgetown Prep are poised to challenge for top honors. With standout players and championship aspirations, these 25 teams are set to make waves on and off the court this season.

Led by UCONN signee Eric Reibe, Adrian Stevens (Marquette) and Darren Moore (Stonehill), the Bulldogs are among the country’s finest and the favorite to repeat as Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) champs.

The Mustangs look to challenge national heavyweights Gonzaga College (D.C.) and Paul VI Catholic (Va.) in the rugged Washington Catholic Athletic Conference with a young and talented roster led by Qayden Samuels, the top junior in Maryland.

The Little Hoyas will be Bullis’ biggest obstacle in the IAC with Division I recruits Akbar Waheed (Boston College), Tyler Garrett (Dartmouth), Carter Berg-McLean (Loyola), Patrick McDonough (Army) and Dylan Gassaway (Naval Academy).

After ending last season with the Maryland Private Schools Tournament crown, the Stags may be ready to return to prominence in the WCAC with senior wing Cole Bowser (Furman) and junior guard Ashton Meeks.

The defending Baltimore Catholic League Tournament champ Panthers will look to their backcourt, led by junior Jasiah Cannady to challenge for supremacy in the BCL and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference.

The reigning MIAA A champ Gaels will rely on seniors Joe Green and Brandon Holmes (Towson signee) and junior guard BJ Ranson for another title run under legendary coach Pat Clatchey.

The Cougars, under second-year coach Tony Martin, are poised for a serious run at the MIAA A and BCL championships with a deep front court and seniors Rodney Scott and Mario Tatum in the backcourt.

Michigan State recruit Cam Ward, the state’s top senior, is back for the Lions who’ll seek a second straight Class 2A state championship.

The Eagles will challenge Mount Zion Prep in the Metro Private School Conference (MPCS) with senior post Bryce Adams and versatile junior Khalid Norcome.

With arguably the country’s sophomore in 6-foot-9 Baba Oladotun, the Bengals have designs on the Maryland Class 4A title this season.

The defending MPSC champ Warriors have one of the most talented rosters in Maryland with Maryland pledge Christian Jeffrey, Bobby Montgomery (Texas-El Paso) and Emmanuel Kanga (George Mason).

The Lions look to again challenge Sidwell Friends School (D.C.) in the Mid-Athletic Conference with Columbia commit Miles Franklin and junior guards Karon Bailey and Lawrence Brown.

The Dons will rely on a talented backcourt featuring senior Mason Ellison and juniors Jesse LeGree and Marlon Williams for a push at the MIAA A and Baltimore Catholic titles.

 The Patriots will be a major factor in the MIAA A and the Baltimore Catholic League with senior Caden Chinnia-Falline and junior Aiden Able.

The Crusaders will be sparked by one of the more underrated talents in Maryland in 6-foot-5 do-it-all Gio Sanford.

With star Malik Washington graduating early to enroll at Maryland for football, the Cavaliers will look to Kam Carter and TJ Moultrie for another run at the top of the MIAA A and Baltimore Catholic League.

With Texas State commit Rob Fields and Jeff Exinor (Penn State football commit) back, the Eagles are poised to challenge for the MIAA A title.

The Cadets will look to go back-to-back as Class 4A state champions with seniors Emonte Hill and Dayvon Dorsey at the helm.

The Dragons may have the most talented roster in the MIAA A with Bucknell-bound guard Patrick Curtin and 6-foot-11 center Deng Jon.

The Wildebeests are the favorite to repeat as Potomac Valley Athletic Conference champions with seniors Jacob Cox and James Galant.

The Mustangs, featuring sophomore guard Keon Scott, look to get back to the Class 4A state semifinals.

The road to the Prince George’s County (Md.) crown will likely go through the Pumas, who will challenge for the Class 4A state championship.

The Black Knights are the team to beat in the Baltimore City league and will challenge for the Class 3A state title with New Mexico-bound Omarr Smith Jr.

With Davin Chandler, Tribe Wise and Zachary Baker back, the Seahawks are primed to get to the University of Maryland after a heartbreaking loss in the Class 3A state semifinals last season.

Senior point guard Darnell Dantzler Jr. looks to lead the Red Storm to another Class 1A state and Baltimore City championship.

As the 2024-25 girls basketball season tips off, Maryland’s top teams are ready to make their mark locally and on the national stage. From perennial contenders in powerhouse leagues like the WCAC and IAAM to public school champions aiming for repeat titles, the state boasts an impressive array of talent.

This year’s rankings highlight programs with Division I commits, dynamic duos, and rising stars, showcasing why Maryland remains a hotbed for high school basketball. Whether chasing state championships or vying for national recognition, these 25 teams are poised for thrilling performances this season.

With a talented roster led by University of Georgia signee Zhen Craft, Princess Moody (Providence) and Vanessa Harris (Rhode Island), the Mustangs have their eyes on the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title, and possibly a national championship.

The Panthers look to reclaim the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) A Conference title with Amora Alton, Sydney Sutton, junior Dahni Suggs and UMBC commit Vanessa Harris from Archbishop Carroll (D.C.).

Georgia commit Megan Yarnevich and talented sophomore Ivanna Wilson Manyacka has the Bulldogs on track to challenge nationally-ranked Sidwell Friends School (D.C.) for supremancy in the Independent School League.

The Knights have a loaded roster as Sam Caldwell, who put New Hope Academy and Shabach Christian on the DMV girls hoops map, takes over.

The Crusaders will have one of the best duos in the DMV with Ariana Merely and Lola Saunders Mensah-Bonsu.

The Eagles look to 4-peat in the IAAM A as longtime assistant coach Terri Daniels takes over.

The Panthers hope for a breakthrough and reach the IAAM A finals, led by junior post Arianna Harris-Mott.

The Saints could be ready to make a push in their second season in the IAAM A with talented juniors Bailey Harris, Alexandra Vandiver and Kendall Williams.

The Roadrunners will be a tough out in the ultra-competitive WCAC with George Mason pledge Ma’Kayla Johnson leading the way.

With Brianna Pope, Alexia Smothers and London Elliott back, the Engineers look to continue its reign as Class 3A state champions.

The Coyotes hope to go back-to-back as Class 4A state champs with the sister duo of London and Destiny Turner.

The Cavaliers could challenge for a Top 4 spot in the IAAM A standings.

The Falcons will rely on Cincinnati pledge Caliyah DeVillasee and Madison Hall (Vermont) to guide them through a demanding non-league and WCAC schedule.

The Roadrunners have designs on a fifth straight Class 1A state championship with senior Mariah Jones-Bey leading the charge.

The Panthers, led by 6-foot-2 senior post London Harvey, are on the rise under second-year coach Rob Long.

The Jaguars will challenge for the Class 4A state title with junior guard Alana Joy and senior Londyn Miller.

The Reds hope to make some inroads in the IAAM A with 10 returners including all-league pick Naomi Koldobskiy.

With five returners for new coach Tiny Adams, the Cougars look to compete in a deep IAAM A Conference.

The Seahawks believe they’re ready for a run at the Class 4A state Final Four.

The Lions will lean on senior guard Safe Al-Uqdah Robinson and senior forward Riley Knackmuhs to be competitive in the ISL.

The Barons look to get back to the Class 4A championship game with senior guard Frances Doyle.

The Eagles should be the team to beat in Southern Maryland and challenge for the Class 4A title with Mya Gant and Layla Woodward.

With one of Maryland’s top underclassmen in Katie Diao back, the Rockets should be a contender in the Montgomery County (Md.) 4A league.

The Bears will try to repeat as Class 2A state champions with forward Sara Yarnell leading the way.

The Bruins look to pose the biggest challenge to South River in Anne Arundel County (Md.) league.

As time expired on another Maryland women’s basketball victory, the Terps found themselves in an unfamiliar position: entering conference play with an undefeated record.

Maryland comfortably took down Mount St. Mary’s, 87-52, Tuesday night at Xfinity Center for its ninth consecutive win behind a balanced offensive effort led by Christina Dalce with 13 points. Shyanne Sellers and Allie Kubek followed with 12 points apiece.

The last time Maryland started 9-0 or better was 2018-19.

Before the game started, head coach Brenda Frese made a notable change. She gave Saylor Poffenbarger her first start in a Maryland uniform, electing to bring Dalce off the bench.

“I’ve said this all along, we have seven starters,” Frese said. “When you look at Saylor, you know she’s been three weeks out with an injury, but this is who she has been.”

Both forwards ended with double-digit points, and Dalce spoke glowingly about her teammate postgame.

“She works so hard, and it makes you want to work hard as well,” Dalce said. “She’s all over, offensively and defensively.”

Regardless of its starting center, though, Maryland looked like a team playing its third game in four days in the first quarter. The game got off to a sloppy start with the Terps’ offense looking lethargic. Luckily for them, the Mountaineers were not playing any sharper.

Despite shooting just over 30% from the field and turning it over six times, Maryland escaped the opening period up 15-8.

The second quarter showed improvement for the Terps, who opened up a large lead. The Terps started to press their advantage inside through Dalce and Kubek, throwing them post-entry passes and letting them get easy layups over smaller defenders.

Maryland continued to overwhelm the Mountaineers on defense, as it forced eight turnovers. Kubek stood out on that end as well, recording a steal and block.

Maryland sunk just two first-half 3-pointers, but still opened up a 40-19 lead by halftime.

The third quarter saw Maryland play some of its best offense of the evening. The ball moved more fluidly than it had all game through the Mountaineer defenders, leading to plenty of easy buckets. Sellers and Sarah Te-Biasu orchestrated the offense, as Maryland’s wings moved off the ball for easy looks. The Terps tallied six assists in the third quarter.

They could have extended their lead if not for some laziness on the defensive end that afforded the Mountaineers some open layups of their own. Still, Maryland was firmly in the driver’s seat heading into the fourth quarter.

Amari DeBerry subbed into the game for the first time in the fourth quarter. The Terps’ reserve forward had a solid performance late, racking up four points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in just eight minutes.

Maryland ended the game with a 35-point win, tied for its third-largest of the season, as it heads into conference play with another decisive victory.

Three things to know

1. Mount St. Mary’s was out of its league. Out of the gate, it was clear that the Mountaineers were not a serious opponent for the Terps, who had a clear size and length advantage. Mount St. Mary struggled to generate offense in any form. It shot 33.9% from the field and turned the ball over 19 times.

2. Terps share the wealth again. For the second straight game, every available Terp scored at least three points, with freshman Ava McKennie getting some first-half action. The win also saw five different Terps in double figures: Dalce, Sellers, Kubek, Poffenbarger and Kaylene Smikle.

3. Turnover problems persist. Maryland has struggled with protecting the ball this season, and this game was no different. The Terps turned it over 15 times, with Dalce and Smikle accumulating four giveaways each. Frese has consistently emphasized the importance of winning the turnover battle for Maryland’s success, which will be necessary against tougher opponents.