The annual basketball game between the Maryvale Lions and The Mercy Magic is a time-honored Baltimore tradition of excellence in girls’ sports.
The Varsity Lions beat the Magic 45-44 on Friday night, January 24, 2025. This was Maryvale's fourth year competing and first year winning!
The JV Lions beat the Magic 50-14!
A Legacy of Rivalry and Tradition
The contest has its roots beginning in 1964 when Mercy High School competed against the old Seton High School in a 3-year series at the Civic Center. In 1967, a new rivalry formed between Mercy and the Institute of Notre Dame, which lasted for 54 years.
Now known as The Classic, this signature event builds on a friendly rivalry between Mercy and Maryvale spanning more than 50 years in multiple sports. More than just another game on the schedule, The Classic will be the culmination of a week of spirited activities between the two schools, including JV and alumnae games (alumnae team featured here), pep rallies, and a fundraising challenge among each school’s graduates.
Alumnae of both schools make it a homecoming, and the athletes, cheerleaders, pep squads, and coaches have a college-level athletic experience at Towson University Arena, playing in front of thousands of spectators and on a university campus. The players are following in the footsteps of 60 years of athletes who were proud to represent their schools and are part of an athletic legacy in Baltimore. It's the only girls' athletic event of its scope in Maryland. The 2026 game will be announced in late fall 2025.
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