Columbia, MD - Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) dropped a career-high 27 points as the Howard Community College Dragons finished the Hoop Here Get There Classic 2-0 with a 75-55 win over the Mercer County Community College Dragons.

The Dragons came out of the gates in their second game knowing they had to build on their season-opening momentum, and they delivered. The first half was tightly contested, as Mercer kept pace early, matching hustle with hustle and trading buckets with Howard. But as the minutes ticked down, the Dragons began to impose their will. The defensive pressure increased, the rebounds started to tip in their favor, and a few key baskets gave them a 33-27 lead heading into the locker room.

In the second half, the Dragons flipped a switch. Their offense became sharper, mainly to the credit of the game that Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) had. Coming right out of the half, Barfield scored a whopping 16 points to put the contest away. Barfield finished the game with 27 points including five three-pointers. After his impressive solo scoring run, the game was all but out of reach for the Vikings. 

Howard attacked the rim, moved the ball with purpose, and made the extra pass. Meanwhile, the defense turned up the heat, forcing turnovers, contesting shots, and limiting Mercer's chances to catch up. When the horn sounded, the scoreboard reflected the effort. This is an amazing sign for the Dragons as they won both of their matches in the Hoop Here Get There Classic by a margin of 20 points or more.

Next up for the Dragons is a match with Baltimore City Community College on Wednesday, November 5 at 7:00 PM.