Rockville, MD – A thrilling game ultimately led to a dramatic 78-75 loss at the Montgomery Raptors as the Dragons fall to 3-3 in regional play while the Raptors improve to 4-0.
 
Montgomery came out of the gates knocking down their three pointers to take an early lead, but Howard responded with strong forward play as Mikiyah Mallett (Pasadena, MD/Old Mill) was able to assert herself through the paint along with a couple of Sydnei Harmon (Largo, MD/Charles H. Flowers) baskets at the end of the first quarter kept the Dragons close.
 
Nhaikyia Smith (Waldorf, MD/St. Vincent Pallotti) hit a long range shot early in the second quarter to spur the Dragons forward to a 19-14 lead, but Montgomery answered back with an 8-0 run. The Raptors continued to extend the lead to 34-23 with 1:30 remaining in the first quarter, but a late 8-0 run by the Dragons made for positive vibes going into halftime down by three.
 
Coming out of the halftime intermission, it became the Mallett and Smith show even more as Mallett was able to drive to the basket time and time again as she finished with 13 of her 26 points in the third quarter along as she shot 10-14 from the floor along with 13 rebounds for the game. The two teams exchanged baskets back and forth during the fourth quarter as a Kalani Corkeron (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) made a driving layup to take the lead at 60-59.
 
Montgomery took the lead back, but back-to-back layups by Harmon followed by a couple free throws had the game tied at 68-68 with 4 minutes left. Montgomery hit a deep ranged three pointer to retake the lead, which was partially nullified by a tough Julia Harrington (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore City College) bucket in the paint. Down by three with six seconds left, Corkeron was able to put up a potentially game tying three pointer at the buzzer that clanked off the rim as time expired.
 
In addition to Mallett's monster game, Smith added 22 points, seven rebound and five assists in a gritty performance for the point guard. Harmon scored 13 in the game, going 5-5 from the floor while Harrington finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Corkeron was able to chip in five points, four rebounds, and four assists.
 
The Dragons will look to rebound from the loss when they travel to neighboring CCBC Catonsville on Monday, February 13 at 5 PM in a critical regional match. Howard has won the last two meetings between the teams, including a 72-36 rout a year ago in the Dragons Lair.