Columbia, MD - Behind one of the clutchest performances of the year from Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills), the Howard Community College Dragons advanced to their second-straight Region 20 championship with a 67-59 win over Potomac State!

Key baskets from Norton down the stretch helped the Dragons stave off a tough Potomac State team that dropped seven three pointers on the Dragons. Four Dragons scored in double-digits for the second straight tournament game, with Emanuel Henqirues scoring a double-double in the process.

Friday's semifinal got off to an awful start, with the Dragons trailing 7-0 after four minutes. A pair of Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) free throws finally got the Dragons on the board, yet they had a long way to go to take the lead. Inching back into the contest, Howard tied things up with eight minutes to go off a Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) layup. Norton then made his first big contribution of the game, ripping the ball from Andre Grant's hands and scoring on a fastbreak layup to give Howard their first lead. Potomac State edged back ahead thanks to free throws, only for a deep three from Arthur Roaché to give Howard the lead for good. Norton hit his first three from down town to extend the lead, then hit another from even deeper after Potomac State got within two. The Dragons led 31-26 at the half, with Norton leading all scorers with eight points.

The Dragons shut down the paint in the second half, relying on big blocks from Henriques and Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) to keep the score low. Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) made his presence felt, hitting key baskets to keep the game in Howard's control, while Norton continued to make clutch basket after clutch basket. Howard pulled out to a double-digit lead early in the second, but Potomac State scythed their way back into the game. With four minutes to go, the Catamounts got within two points, only for a corner three from Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) to take the air out of their sails. Djami and Henriques hit back-to-back layups, extending the lead back to double-digits. In the final minutes, Norton iced the game with a pair of fastbreaks that ended in a dunk and free throws. Clutch rebounding from Arthur Roaché sealed the deal, sending the Dragons back to the championship game!

Norton finished a career-game with 15 points, tying his career-high. Johnson finished with 12 points, three rebounds, and eight assists, while Henriques scored a double-double with ten points and eleven rebounds. Djami added ten points, five rebounds, two assists, and three blocks, while Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) scored eight points and seven rebounds. Roaché was excellent off the bench with eight points and ten rebounds.

The Dragons will face Chesapeake College in the Region 20 Championship game on Saturday!