CATONSVILLE — With the buzzer sounding, the pep band blaring and the sea of red-clad spectators erupting in a cacophony, Southern’s players had tears in their eyes.
They were tears of jubilation this time.
After two setbacks to one of the greatest dynasties in Maryland high school basketball history, Southern built a 14-point lead in the second half and handled Pikesville’s furious pressure late to win 52-46 Saturday and claim its fifth Class 1A state championship in school history.
“I’m just so happy for our girls, our community,” Southern head coach Landon Todd said. “It’s no secret we’ve been here two other times and we didn’t walk away with the same result. So it’s extra special to win after losing a couple. I’m just so proud of our kids.”
Southern (22-5) has now won five state championships with five different coaches. Todd joins his grandfather Don Stemple (2004), Oren Yoder (’07), Danny Bosley (’14) and Rodger Bowman (’18).
Pikesville (24-3), which hadn’t lost a playoff game since falling to the Rams in the 2018 state semifinals, came up one win shy of a state record sixth consecutive title.
Jayden Weaver led the Rams with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Joycelyn Ward scored 11 and pulled down six rebounds, Emelee Parks had nine points and four steals, Gabbi Berry tallied nine points, and Kelsey Ward added six.
Pikesville’s 6-foot-1 center Qaidence David garnered a game-high 16 points with eight rebounds, NyJae Malik-El had 14 points and seven boards, and Mariah Jones-Bey finished with nine points.
Following a paltry first-half shooting display by both squads, Southern made the first run, and it proved to be the decisive one.
Jocelyn Ward and Berry drilled consecutive 3-pointers, and Parks drove and scored to cap an 11-3 burst that gave the Rams a 33-19 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.
The Southern defense, which was primarily a 2-3 zone with a 2-1-2 three-quarter-court press, dared Pikesville to shoot.
The Panthers, who average 61.9 points per game, were just 1 for 12 from 3-point land and 32.8% overall.
“I knew that my man was very quick, so was Jayden’s,” Parks said, referring to Jones-Bey and Malik-El. “We really just needed to do our best to keep them in front. Not necessarily turn them over, just slow them down.”
Pikesville showed its championship pedigree out of a timeout by coach Michael Dukes, who has lost just two playoff games in his career dating back to 2018, and clawed to within 36-28 entering the fourth.
Buckets by Malik-El and Maya Chase lowered the deficit to 36-32 early in the fourth after an 8-0 run.
Southern kept the Panthers at arm’s length, and Weaver converted the dagger, a reverse layup on a baseline out-of-bounds play with 32 seconds left for a 49-43 lead.
Berry sunk a pair of foul shots after a Pikesville miss, and minutes later, Berry grasped a leaping Parks in her arms as the buzzer sounded.
The rest of the Rams’ flock joined the duo moments later.
“My first thought was to find Emelee because she’s my baby and she’s leaving,” Berry said of the Rams’ lone senior starter, “and our whole motto this year has been win it for her. And we won it for her.”
Southern’s prior two defeats to Pikesville — 67-62 last year and 48-39 in 2024 — had two constants: the Rams turned the ball over, and the Panthers used their dominance of the offensive boards to generate a wide free-throw disparity.
On Saturday, Southern had fewer turnovers (18-14), and while Pikesville pulled down 26 offensive boards, it got to the line just once more. The Rams were 9 for 14 at the charity stripe, and the Panthers made just 5 of 15.
“They seemed to want it a little more,” Dukes said. “They were beating us to a lot of 50-50 balls. I think we felt some urgency late, and we turned our energy level up. I think if we had played that way for 32 minutes, I think we would have been in good shape. But we didn’t.”
A superb defensive effort allowed Southern to overcome early foul trouble to lead 20-14 at halftime.
Joycelyn Ward’s five points topped the Rams at the half, but she sat on the bench with two fouls for the final 6:34 of the second quarter.
Southern managed to extend its margin with her off the floor, leading by as much as eight when Berry hit a jumper in the lane for a 20-12 edge.
Reeslyn Sisler provided big minutes with three points off the bench, and Southern held its own play man-to-man defense with her on the floor.
“Doggone 22 (Ward) doesn’t want to stay out of foul trouble,” Todd said, smiling at his sophomore forward. “It’s huge for Reese. She played some big minutes.”
Pikesville led 8-7 after the opening period thanks to a buzzer-beating baseline jumper by Jones-Bey.
Much of the Panthers’ early offense came via steals and scores the other way. Southern had Berry bring the ball up the court to limit the pickpocketing acumen of Jones-Bey, who was closely guarding Parks.
But Southern handled the pressure in the second half, where it made 12 of 24 field goals, and it made the winning plays late to claim the title.
The last three Class 1A championships came down to Southern and Pikesville, and Dukes said Todd told him in the postgame handshake line he expects to see the matchup a fourth time.
For now, Southern can bask in the glory it felt when that buzzer sounded.
“We finally did it. After two years, all the emotions just come to you at once,” Weaver said. “Thank you, Jesus.”