Keyser, WV- The Howard Community College men's basketball team walked into their away match up ready for a showdown with WVU Potomac State, a rematch of last year's Region 20 semifinals. For the first several minutes, the Dragons looked locked in—moving the ball crisply, knocking down early shots, and matching Potomac State's intensity possession for possession.
But as the first half wore on, Potomac State began to settle into a rhythm. Their shooters found space on the perimeter, and a few defensive lapses by Howard allowed the Catamounts to string together a quick scoring run. Midway through the first half the deficit was as large as 19, leaving the Dragons with a ton of ground to cover. The Dragons tried to answer, attacking the rim and hustling after rebounds, and they managed to make a dent in that lead. By halftime, Howard only trailed by four. This was helped by the scoring presence of Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson), who finished the game with 22 points, and knocking down four shots from three point range as well. Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) also led the charge, earning his season high with an efficient 21 points, and going 9-13 from the field.
Coming out of the break, the Dragons hit the court determined to flip the momentum. Unfortunately, the scoring slowed down in the second half for Howard. It did on both sides, however, as the Catamounts managed to outscore them 30-22 in the later period.
Potomac State controlled the glass, out rebounding Howard by 11, and knocking down the kind of difficult shots that can deflate a comeback attempt. The scoring drought came for the Dragons with a little over three minutes left in the game, the last basket being a three pointer from Juan Bell (Silver Spring, MD/James Hubert Blake). Slowly, the lead stretched back into double digits.
When the buzzer sounded, the Dragons fell 75–63, a competitive, hard-fought game that slipped away in key stretches. The Dragons will take the court on December 11 against Garrett College in an away affair that begins at 7:00 PM.
