Frederick, MD - In a wild finish, the Howard Community College Dragon's held on to beat Frederick Community College 61-55 on Saturday.

The Dragons secured their eleventh victory in their last twelve games despite going scoreless in the last five minutes. Howard nearly lost a 19-point lead, but solid defense allowed them to escape Frederick with the win.

The Dragons struggled out of the gate, falling behind 13-4 midway through the first quarter. But behind solid shooting off the bench from Tamir Whittle (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) and a big three-pointer courtesy of Kayden Jeselskis (Baltimore, MD/Rosedale Christian Academy), the Dragons pulled back into the game. Howard kept up with the Cougars until late in the second quarter. A Nicole Forbes (Reston, VA/South Lakes) jumper gave the Dragons the lead, followed immediately by a three-pointer off a turnover gave the Dragons a 31-25 lead entering the half.

Howard's offense woke up in the second half, pulling out to a double-digit lead. The Dragons out-rebounded the Cougars 16-6 in the third, shutting down the middle of the paint. Deep into the fourth, the Dragons led by 19. Frederick finally woke up, acing a pair of free throws and scoring on three straight jumpers. Howard's lead was cut in half, and the Dragons couldn't hit a single shot. However, Frederick ran out of time, coming just six points short of completing the comeback.

Forbes led the team with 15 points, two assists, and two steals. Whittle added 13 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals off the bench, while Asaani Offer (Annapolis, MD/Catonsville) almost scored a double-double with nine points, ten rebounds, and three assists. McKenzi Walters (Falls Church, VA/George C. Marshall) added eight points and seven rebounds, while Hannah Chambers (Columbia, MD/Hammond) and Jaylah Putman (Jacksonville, FL/Long Reach) both scored seven rebounds.

The Dragons next face off against Harford Community College on Friday, February 7 at 5:00 PM.