Maryvale Preparatory School is the third rival for Mercy High School in a traditional basketball event between Baltimore-area girls Catholic schools now known as “The Classic,” and lately the Lions have put up more than token resistance.
After earning their first win in four tries in last year’s one-point thriller, the Lions prevailed for the second straight year by rallying for a 44-34 victory in front of a large and engaged crowd Jan. 30 at Towson University’s SECU Arena.
Mercy’s first foe in a series that began in 1964 was the now-closed Seton High School. That tussle, staged at the Baltimore Civic Center, turned out to be just a prelude to the Magic’s 54-year annual battle — dubbed “The Game” — against the Institute of Notre Dame.
Seeking a new opponent after IND shuttered its doors in 2020, Maryvale stepped to the fore and the “The Classic” was born, despite the Lions taking it on the chin for the first three games.
The 2026 game started with great expectations on both sides following opening prayers, spirited singing by both schools’ alma maters, a performance by the Mercy dance squad, rousing player introductions and a school choir-led rendition of the National Anthem with a traditional emphasis on the “O.”
With a victory, the Magic could have easily erased the sting of producing a 1-5 record in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference. Meanwhile, Maryvale was out to prove that a team leading the IAAM C Conference with a 6-0 record could handle itself on such a big stage.
Mercy bolted to a 16-7 first-quarter advantage after senior guard/forward Grace Mooney opened the floodgates with a banked 3-pointer. Back-to-back treys by sophomore guard Lilly Lackner and Mooney ignited a 12-0 run that helped the Magic stay on top until consecutive put-backs by junior Rhian O’Connor brought the Lions to a 20-20 halftime deadlock.
From that point forward, though, Maryvale’s defense was in a stingy mood.
“They’re a great team and they can shoot,” said senior guard Cayden Reese, who scored nine points and was named the Most Valuable Player for the Lions. “It didn’t take long for them to warm up. But once we started to take an extra step toward their shooters, we did a lot better on defense.”
Maryvale took its first lead at 25-22 on junior Alyssa Przywara’s 3 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
A stick-back by freshman forward Jadeyn Zarbos brought the Magic to within 35-34 early in the final period — the last points Mercy could muster despite a few shots that landed on the rim and tantalizingly rolled around and off the iron.
Meanwhile, Maryvale scored the game’s final nine points, beginning with a clutch Przywara baseline jumper with just over two minutes remaining, followed by a layup by sophomore Clara McCormick
Once Mercy was forced to foul, Reese and O’Connor buried five-of-six free throws to secure the victory.
“They amped up the pressure on our ball carriers,” Mercy coach George Panageotou said. “They did a nice job with that. And when we did get some good looks, they weren’t falling. But we had a couple of shots that were just hanging on the rim or were in and out.”
Maryvale coach Telia Marks, who upped her record to 2-0 in The Classic, said that she changed defensive tactics after falling behind early.
“I feel like we’re a defensive team,” she said. “For us to give up points, I think we take that personally. And we got so up for this game, it’s like we were over-stimulated. But after we reset, I’m like guys ‘I’m calling out your heart. We gotta be hungry’ — and we responded in a really big way.”
Mooney, who led the Magic with 10 points, was named her team’s MVP.
Yet in the end, Reese, whose basket in the final seconds garnered the Lions’ first win in the series last winter, and her teammates prevailed.
“Cayden is our leader and our floor general,” Marks said. “When she goes, we go.”
Reese was delighted to finish her career in the series with a victory.
“To go 2-2 in my four years (playing in The Classic) means the world to me,” Reese said.
To view more photos by Kevin J. Parks from The Classic, click through the slideshow below:
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