Columbia, MD - History was made Wednesday morning as the Howard Community College Dragons defeated the Garrett College Lakers 88-78 in the first overtime game at the Kahlert Foundation Complex.

After leading most of the way, the Dragons found themselves trailing late to Garrett. Clutch baskets from Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) forced overtime, where the Dragons went on an 18-8 run to knock off the Lakers. Howard's victory moved them to 11-4 on the season and third place in the Region 20 Division II standings.

Wednesday's game saw the largest crowd of the season for the Dragons as local elementary schools attended for Education Day. The Dragons wowed the crowd by jumping out to a 12-5 lead in the opening minutes. Dean and Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) punished the Lakers in the paint, while Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) brought the crowd to its feet with a huge three. Howard kept the lead hovering around double-digits for the next few minutes, but Garrett slowly ate into the lead. The Dragons switched strategies, focusing on perimeter shooting to extend the lead. But poor shooting from three-point range allowed the Lakers back into the game and Howard only led 32-29 at the half.

The Dragons returned to what had worked in the first half out of the break. They attacked the rim relentlessly, with McDuffie and Henriques leading the way early in the second half. Howard jumped out to a double-digit lead just minutes into the period, expanding their advantage to as much as 12 points. Once again though, Garrett began to eat into the lead. Capitalizing on Howard turnovers, the Lakers fought back within two points with six minutes to go. A McDuffie layup gave the Dragons a quick spark, but back-to-back Garrett scores tied the contest at 63-63 with five minutes to go.

Jaden Johnson's (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) tie-breaking three was immediately answered by a Garrett three and a two-point lead for the Lakers. With Howard struggling to hit their shots, it seemed as if the Lakers would escape with a clutch win. Not if Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) had anything to say about that. Dean grabbed a huge steal with one minute left and converted it into a game-tying layup. After an exchange of fouls, the Lakers scored on a tip-in with seconds left. The Dragons once again needed a clutch shot, and once again got it from Dean. Scything through Garrett defenders, Dean nailed a layup with 33 seconds to go, tying the contest at 70-70. Garrett was called for a shot-clock violation on their next possession, and after Henriques missed a potential game-winner, the game headed to overtime.

Back-to-back jumpers by the Dragons right out of the gate set the tone for the extra period. Dean stayed hot, nailing a pair of tough layups to crack 20 points for the first time in his career. Garrett tried to respond, but foul trouble had crept up on them. Six of the 18 points the Dragons scored in overtime came from free throws, pushing the lead back to double-digits. Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) put the exclamation point on the win with an ally-oop dunk from Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) as Howard held on to win.

Dean finished with a career-high 22 points, eight rebounds. four assists, one block, and three steals in a performance to remember. Henriques dropped 20 points, eight rebounds, and two steals, while McDuffie added 19 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) added eight points, four rebounds, three steals, and five assists. Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) notched eight points, while Sincere Barfield (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) added seven points off the bench.

Next up for the Dragons is the Monroe University Mixer, where they will face several top schools from New York. Up first will be a clash with #12 Monroe Community College on Saturday, January 18th at 5:00 PM.