North East, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons picked up a massive Region 20 win on Wednesday, defeating the Cecil College Seahawks 89-75.
Facing one of their fiercest rivals, the Dragons survived a back-and-forth first half to pull away comfortably in the second. Five Dragons scored in double figures, with both
Sincere Barfield (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) and
Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) setting new career-highs in points. The win moved the Dragons to 9-4 on the season and 2-1 in division play.
Fresh off a major win against Pennsylvania Highlands, the Dragons were faced with a Cecil team that had not played since mid-December. Howard came out hot, with tough paint buckets from
Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) and
Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) in the opening minutes. A Seahawks' run got Cecil back in the game, sparking a back-and-forth battle. The Dragons leaned heavily on
Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) getting inside for tough baskets, but foul trouble forced him to the bench early. The response from the Dragons was to let loose their three-point shooters. Dean hit a major three to put the Dragons up four, and
Sincere Barfield (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) sank his first of four threes with five minutes to go.
Cecil wouldn't go away easily, and more foul trouble for the Dragons allowed the Seahawks to take their first lead. Barfield put the team on his back in the final minute of the first half, sinking a crucial three to retake the lead and breaking loose for an easy bucket to extend it. Cecil sank one last bucket to keep the score close heading into the half, with Howard leading 37-35.
The key for the Dragons in the second half was to eliminate the foul trouble and shut down Cecil's top shooters. It would take some time for both goals to be achieved, as
Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) was sent to the bench with foul trouble and Cecil tied things up within the first few minutes of the half. Enter
Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin), who had something to say after scoring just one point in the first half. Henriques took control of the game, scooping up rebounds and punishing Cecil's front court in the paint. Dean and Barfield stayed hot too, adding crucial layups to push the Dragon advantage to double-digits. Halfway through the half, the Dragons led by eleven.
A Cecil run with nine minutes to go brought their deficit down to four points, but the Dragons stayed hot in the paint. Howard pushed the lead back to double-digits, then sat on said lead for the rest of the game. Crucial threes by Barfield and Dean kept the lead at double-digits. Dean's final three with 30 seconds left put the exclamation point on an outstanding win for the Dragons.
Barfield finished as the leading scorer for the Dragons with a career-high 20 points with four three-pointers. The freshman was excellent on defense, adding two blocks and three steals. Dean had a career night with 18 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. McDuffie dropped 17 points and five rebounds, while Henriques scored a double-double with 13 points, ten rebounds, two blocks, and five steals.
Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) had an excellent game with 12 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.
Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) drooped eight points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
The Dragons next face the College of Southern Maryland on Saturday, January 11 at 2:00 PM.
