North East, MD - For the third straight game, the Howard Community College Dragons found themselves on the losing end of a tough matchup as they fell to the Raritan Valley Community College Lions 81-73 in Game One of the Cecil College Mixer.

After taking an eight-point lead into the half, the Dragons were outscored 52-36 in the second half by a resurgent Lions team. An injury to Howard's Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) hurt the Dragons scoring opportunities, and despite solid work off the bench, the Dragons were unable to hold off Raritan Valley. The loss drops the Dragons to 3-3 on the season and 0-3 on the road, their worst start to a season since a 4-3 start in 2022.

The Dragons dominated the first half of play, pulling away from the Lions with a 13-0 run to end the half. A change in the starting lineup saw Cedric Harville (Baltimore, MD/Ben Franklin) and Kanye McMahon (Lexington Park, MD/Chopticon) both make their first career starts, with both contributing on the stat sheets. Jasper Hanna (Washington, D.C./E.L. Haynes) came off the bench to sink a big three as Howard took a 37-29 lead into the half.

However, an omen of what was to come for the Dragons struck right before the buzzer. As Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) made his last layup, contact with a Raritan Valley player sent him to the floor with an injured wrist. Barfield tried to play the second half, but was pulled from the game just a minute into the action. Despite the injury, the Dragons held onto their lead with solid work in the paint by Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton). However, the Lions jumped on Howard's defense, surging back into the game and taking their first lead with ten minutes to go.

The final minutes of the second half were a back-and-forth battle as the Dragons desperately tried to hang onto their lead. It would not hold, as the Lions built a multi-possession cushion and withstood Evin Thompson's (Silver Spring, MD/Sherwood) and Myles McDuffie's (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) attempts to get the Dragons back into the game. RVCC held on to win 81-73, handing the Dragons their third consecutive loss.

Despite missing the second half, Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) was the leading scorer for the Dragons with 16 points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals. McDuffie dropped 14 points and three rebounds, while Jasper Hanna (Washington, D.C./E.L. Haynes) had a career night with 13 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Cedric Harville (Baltimore, MD/Ben Franklin) had an excellent day in his first start, scoring nine points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. TaJir Webster (Waldorf, MD/St. Charles) added eight points and six rebounds, while Evin Thompson (Silver Spring, MD/Sherwood) dropped seven points off the bench.

The Dragons will look to rebound tomorrow as they face the County College of Morris Titans at 1:00 PM.