Danville, IL - For the first time since March 21, 2013, the Howard Community College Dragons won a NJCAA Division II National Tournament game!
The Dragons upset the #5 seeded Des Moines Area Community College Bears 69-66 in overtime, punching their ticket to the national quarterfinals! The last time Howard won a tournament game was in the consolation bracket of the 2013 national tournament. The Dragons beat Grand Rapids Community College 85-72 in that contest.
With three players scoring in double-digits, the Dragons used their #1 ranked defense in the nation to overwhelm the Bears. Howard overcame a seven-point deficit just before the half, then took command to force overtime where the edged out the Bears.
Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) set the tone for the historic night by scoring the Dragons first five points off an opening possession layup and deep three pointer. Des Moines fought back to tie the contest, but each time they did, the Dragons pulled back ahead. Arthur Roaché and Henriques were excellent in the paint, snatching crucial rebounds to keep the pressure on the Bears defense. Des Moines finally took their first lead with ten minutes to go in the half, but Howard remained steadfast. The Dragons drew crucial fouls to keep the score close, and
Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) hit a massive three-pointer with seven minutes to go to make it a one-point game.
Des Moines finally began to pull away late in the half, taking a seven-point lead with one minute to go. A last-second layup by
Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) cut the deficit to five at the half, his first points of the game. Norton would take control in the second half, scoring the first Dragon points of the period. Two minutes into the half, the Dragons had taken the lead once again, kicking off a thrilling back-and-forth period. Henriques was unstoppable, hitting deep threes, clutch layups, and acing his free throws. Norton made clutch basket after clutch basket to keep the game close, including a sneaky one-hander with three minutes left to tie the game at 53-53. A pair of Des Moines free throws made it 55-53 with a minute to go, but Henriques took control and scored off an offensive rebound to tie the game. After a quick Des Moines basket in response, Arthur Roaché drew a foul and aced his free throws to tie the game. Des Moines had one last chance to take the lead, but
Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) blocked Da'shon Fisher's buzzer-beater attempt to send the game to overtime.
Howard quickly pulled ahead in the extra period thanks to who else but Norton. A pair of layups made it 61-59 Dragons with just under three minutes to go. Now feeling the pressure, the Bears began to foul, but Howard wasn't missing their free throws. Roaché and Norton hit two more clutch shots to extend the lead with a minute to go, but the ever-persistent Bears knocked down a pair of clutch shots of their own to make it a two-point game with six seconds left.
Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise), the MVP of the Region 20 tournament, hit one last free throw, forcing the Bears to go for three to tie. Andrew Austin got the last-second shot off, but it was wide, sending the Dragons to the quarterfinals.
Henriques finished the contest with 21 points and six rebounds. Norton had 18 points and two steals, while Roaché finished with ten poins and four rebounds.
Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) added nine points, six rebounds, and four assists, while
Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) gobbled up eight rebounds, three steals, and a block on defense.
Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) added three steals off the bench.
The Dragons await their quarterfinal opponent, with either #4 seeded Parkland College or #13 seeded Henry Ford College being the next opponent! The national quarterfinal game will be at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, March 19.
