SECU Arena on the campus of Towson will be rockin' tonight, but not for college basketball. Instead, one of the area's biggest high school basketball game will take center stage, and this one is bound to be a classic, because it is The Classic. Rivals Mercy and Maryvale will go head to head at 7:30 p.m. in a game full of tradition, passion and pride.

"It's a great showcase for Mercy and Maryvale to show the school pride for both schools and both teams to get out there and play in front of a lot of fans at a college arena," said Mercy Head Coach George Panageotou.

Panageotou was an assistant on the Mercy staff last season, so this marks his time taking part in The Classic as the team's head coach.

"It is what the name is," said Maryvale Head Coach Alex Miller. "It's a classic, it's going to be a classic game between two schools that really care about sisterhood, and about competing, and I think this game between the two teams shows that off."

While this is just the second meeting between the two teams in this very game, the two schools have a 50-year rivalry across multiple sports. Before The Classic, Mercy and the Institute of Notre Dame had "The Big Game" which was the largest girls' athletic event in Maryland.

It's a big reason why the winner of The Classic is presented with the Rita Sloan Berndt Memorial Trophy. It's named after the 1962 graduate of IND who played varsity basketball for the school, and went on to accomplish big things.

While Mercy won the first edition of The Classic, Maryvale its sights set on a win in the very first rematch.

"That would be awesome, that would be a really good outcome," said Maryvale senior guard Emily Knapp who unfortunately won't play in the game due to injury. "It's just going to be an awesome environment and a really once in a lifetime experience."

As for Mercy, the Magic will look to make it two wins in a row.

"It would mean so much," said Mercy sophomore guard Milan Brown.

The Classic between Maryvale and Mercy will tip tonight at 7:30 p.m.