Columbia, MD - In arguably the most anticipated regular season game on their schedule, the Howard Community College Dragons men's basketball team defeated Chesapeake College 66-52.
Behind a pair of double-doubles from
Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) and
Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin), the Dragons used a strong second-half push to pull away from their rival. The win locks the Dragons in to one of the top-three seeds in the upcoming Region 20 tournament.
The Dragons raced out to a double-digit lead in the opening minutes, with Dean making his presence felt. The sophomore guard hit a pair of deep threes to give Howard a 12-2 lead five minutes into the contest. The Skipjacks weren't going to lay down though, as they roared back into the contest. Dean kept the Dragons ahead, scoring on another pair of shots including a nifty between the legs move that left his defender guessing. With the game becoming a back-and-forth shootout it was expected to be, the Dragons focused on shutting down Chesapeake's outside shooters.
Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) snuffed out a Chesapeake run with a mid-range jumper, then immediately scored again off an inbound pass from
Colin Harshman (Baltimore, MD/Catonsville).
Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) got in on the action with a no-look pass to set up a Dean lay-in to give the Dragons a multi-possession lead. With seconds ticking down in the half, and Chesapeake getting aggressive in the paint, the Dragons turned to their outside shooters.
Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) hit a buzzer-beating jumper from just inside the arc to close out the half with a 35-30 lead.
With the thrilling first half in the rear view mirror, the Dragons focus shifted to shutting down Chesapeake entirely. Howard came out of the gate hot, exploding to a double-digit lead with a deep three from
Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise). Howard's offense moved quick, spreading the Skipjacks defense and opening gaps for easy shots. Chesapeake's offense went cold, failing to score a field goal for a solid five minutes.
Anthony Djami's (Paris, France/Brequigny) two-handed jam kicked off the final run for the Dragons, and
Jaden Johnson's (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) steal-and-score added to the night's highlights. With victory all but assured, the Dragons hit the dagger when
Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) scored on a nifty layup while being knocked to the ground. Chesapeake could not respond, and the Dragons calmly pulled away for the win.
Dean finished the night with 19 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and six steals. Henriques added a double-double with 14 points, eleven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and four steals. Barfield has a great scoring night with eleven points, while Djami notched ten points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) added seven points and five assists.
The Dragons finish their regular season this Wednesday, February 26, as they welcome CCBC Catonsville in a rematch of last year's Region 20 title game.
