Columbia, MD - In the final game to be played in the old Athletic & Fitness Center, the Dragons brought the house down with an electrifying 75-64 win over the Beaver County Titans.
Playing for the last time in the AFC building that has housed Howard Community College athletics since 1977, the Dragons bulldozed their way past the Titans with a well rounded effort. Howard jumped out to an early 8-0 lead and extended it to 13-2 as all five starters scored in the early goings. The Titans pulled it back to a 30-26 deficit with a minute remaining, but a mad scramble in the last minute of the first half saw the Dragons go on a 9-0 run in the final 40 seconds to close the half out ahead 39-26.
The second half saw the two teams trade baskets back and forth for much of it as the emergence of
Benjamin Murphy (Reisterstown, MD/Franklin) continued to shine through as he played the entire second half and lead the team in nearly every category including 17 points, 10 rebounds, eight steals and seven assists with only one turnover in 35 minutes of play.
Koby Baptiste (New Carrollton, MD/Parkdale) scored 14 points with eight rebounds while
Marquis Freeman (Manassas, VA/Fork Union Prep) added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Andrew Mills (Owings Mills, MD/Newtown) added 12 points with
Ethan Wilson (Manassas, VA/Osbourn Park) close behind with nine.
The nearly sell-out crowd was treated to an announcement that a very generous donation was made by the Kahlert Foundation to Howard CC for the naming rights to the new arena that is slated to open in the spring semester of 2025. After the game, the final basket was made in a ceremony that saw all the current basketball players from the men and women teams along with alumni going back decades to pass the ball down the line to make the final basket before the doors close for good in the AFC.
Howard will now take their 10-1 record on the road as they will play the rest of the season in away arenas starting with the Harford Hoops Classic and a rematch with the Beaver County Titans on Friday, December 16 at 5 PM.
