Baltimore, MD - In a rematch for the ages, the Howard Community College Dragons fell to the Baltimore City Community College Panthers 83-78 last Friday.

Despite a career-defining performance from freshman Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton), the Dragons allowed a late three-point basket that doomed their chances. The loss was the third time this season the Dragons have lost in the final seconds, and the third straight loss they've suffered, dropping the Dragons to 7-4.

Things couldn't have gone worse for the Dragons in the opening minutes. Baltimore City was hungry for revenge after losing to the Dragons on opening night, and the Panthers jumped out to a 20-7 lead. With both Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) and Arthur Roaché out of the contest, the Dragons didn't have answers for BCCC's big man Kuich Gatwech. The center dropped ten points and six boards on the Dragons in the opening minutes, ballooning the Panthers lead to 15.

Now playing from behind, the Dragons turned to a smaller strategy on the floor. Howard opted to send out a small, shooting-focused lineup to counteract BCCC's dominance in the paint. Guards Colin Harshman (Baltimore, MD/Catonsville) and Sincere Barfield (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) chipped away at the Panther's lead from outside the arc, while Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) powered his way into the paint for layups. Howard's smaller lineup was fast enough to steal rebounds from the much larger Panther lineup, shifting momentum back to the Dragons. After bringing the deficit down to single digits, the Dragons shocked the home crowd by taking a 40-38 lead into the half, courtesy of a buzzer-beating layup by Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin).

Momentum would not stay with the Dragons entering the second half. Friday night's game became a shootout, with both teams taking turns with the lead. Baltimore City had figured out Howard's smaller lineup, balancing it with a smaller lineup of their own. The caveat was foul trouble: The Panthers reached ten fouls halfway through the period. Howard's free throw shooting was impeccable, with Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) going a perfect 12 for 12 from the line during the half.

With time winding down, the Dragons got a huge boost of momentum from a Sincere Barfield (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) three, tying the game at 74-74. Seconds later, a turnover set up a Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) jumper to extend the lead. A couple of free throws and a dunk later set up BCCC with a 78-76 lead. A foul sent McDuffie to the line, and his perfect free throw shooting tied the game once again. With less than a minute to go, the Panthers got their biggest break of the night. Marquise Delehaye hit a massive three, and the Dragons couldn't connect on two last-second threes. After one more round of free throws, the Panthers clinched the 83-78 win, handing the Dragons their fourth loss of the season.

McDuffie finished with a career-high 26 points, the first 20-point game of the season for any Dragon. McDuffie also added nine rebounds and four assists. Barfield, making his first-career start, had his best performance since opening night. The freshman dropped 17 points and recorded three steals. Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) added 13 points and three assists, while Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) added ten points and seven rebounds. Colin Harshman (Baltimore, MD/Catonsville) had one of his best performances as a Dragons, dropping ten points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach), also making his first start of the season, scooped up seven rebounds, and Jasper Hanna (Washington, DC/E.L. Haynes) had six boards while playing a career-high 16 minutes.

The Dragons head into the winter break eighth in Region 20 Division II. Their next matchup will be against Division III Pennsylvania Highlands Community College on Sunday, January 5 at 1:00 PM.