North East, MD - A furious second half comeback was thwarted by the #9 ranked (D2) Cecil Seahawks as they toppled the Dragons 86-72.

The two teams exchanged baskets for the first 10 minutes of the game as it looked to be an even contest. Khalid Gates of the Seahawks went on a hot streak to close out the first half and gave Cecil a 45-36 lead at the intermission. 

Howard came out with a fire in their bellies in the second half as Daeshawn Eaton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) and David Garey (Gaithersburg, MD/Hargrave Military) led the comeback charge. DJ Tucker (Ellicott City, MD/Marriotts Ridge) was able to bully his way to back-to-back layups, the second of which gave Howard the lead at 54-53. Gates responded with a layup but the Dragons went right back to Tucker for another basket in the paint to lead 65-55 midway through the second half. That would prove to be the last time the Dragons held the lead as Cecil took advantage of Howard miscues to pull away in the end. 

Eaton led the team with 17 points along with 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals for another stellar game out of the sophomore. Garey scored 15 including a trio of treys while Tucker added 11 and Teylor Silverman (Baltimore, MD/Lansdowne) chipped in 10. Joel Webb (Forrestville, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) scored seven points along with six assists and five rebounds for solid all-around performance.

The Dragons will look to rebound as they leave the state to take on Beaver County in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, January 29 at 3 PM.