A quick glance at The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 boys basketball poll - in which seven Baltimore city teams can be found - provides a clear indication of the league's strength and balance this season.
As City coach Mike Daniel, whose No. 3 Knights are 10-1, puts it: "We got a fight on our hands."
The battle for the two invitations to the Baltimore City championship game - set for 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at Morgan State - starts in earnest this week as teams in divisions I and II begin to play intradivision games.
Defending champ Lake Clifton, ranked 10th, got off to a good start in Division II on Tuesday with an 86-80 win over No. 12 Patterson. City and No. 13 Dunbar, which play Friday, also will challenge for the Division II berth.
In Division I, No. 6 Edmondson, No. 7 Digital Harbor and No. 15 Douglass have an opportunity to reach the title game. Douglass travels to Edmondson today.
"Lake Clifton was a monster team last year that ran the table, but the balance is here again," Daniel said. "In my opinion - talent-wise - I think we can play with anybody. Our focus has to get a little better. That's something you work on as the season goes on, and when the big games come, you want to have it all together."
Each of the top teams has its strengths and weaknesses, which bring key matchup issues in every game.
City has size with senior center Jordan Latham. Lake Clifton and Patterson have dynamic guards capable of taking over in Josh Selby and Aquille Carr, respectively. Digital Harbor has a versatile one-two punch in forward Davon Usher and guard Justin Jackson. Edmondson features forward Stanton Kidd and pressure defense. Dunbar has quality depth and a healthy point guard in Corey Spence, who appears back to form after recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident. And Douglass, with four starters back, led by forward Lamont Huggins, can't be overlooked.
"The different matchups really make the battle each time out," Patterson coach Harry Martin said. "It tells the guys they have to be ready to play every single night."
In last year's Baltimore City championship game, Lake Clifton came away with a 69-30 win over Digital Harbor on its way to a 28-0 season. This season, things won't come easily, and it starts with earning the trip to the big game.
"Let the games begin!" Daniel said. "The city championship is about bragging rights - you're the king of the hill for one year, and then it's a battle again next year."
- Glenn Graham