The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for joining sections to enable plates to be separated, then reconnected and securely interlocked. A variety of plate configurations may be utilized with the locking mechanism in applications such as cable pass-through, electrical wiring, or any application in which the engagement of structures is desired. The locking mechanism embodying the principles of the present invention includes outwardly extending finger detents adjacent to the cantilever tabs of each plate that slideably engage the bottom surface of an opposing plate section and create resistive forces between the interlocked cantilever tabs. The addition of the finger detents increases the inter-mating strength of the locked plate by providing a resistive moment arm to resist outward forces acting to separate the plate sections. The cantilever tabs further include a locking lip that engages a locking means of an opposing plate section to resist lateral forces acting to separate the plate.