Danville, IL - Howard Community College's run in the national tournament came to an end Wednesday night in a 60-54 loss to Parkland College.

Despite leading at the half, the Dragons could only hold off the Cobras for so long. A difficult shooting night in the second half ended the Dragons miracle run to the national quarterfinals, though Howard still has a chance to finish the season fifth-overall in the nation.

Facing a team with a major size-advantage over the Dragons, Howard focused on tough perimeter defense and forcing turnovers to keep the game close. Behind solid first-half shooting from Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) and Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills), the Dragons stayed within striking range of the heavily-favored Cobras. Halfway through the first half, Arthur Roaché hit a deep three to make it a two-point game. Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) closed the gap to one seconds later with another deep three, and an Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) layup gave the Dragons their first lead.

Parkland opted for a smaller lineup down the stretch in the first to counter Howard's outside shooting, but behind deep threes from Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) and Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills), the Dragons kept their advantage. Tied at 33-33 with seconds left, Roaché hit a deep buzzer-beater to give the Dragons a 36-33 lead at the half. Howard came out of the half strong, extending their lead to seven off the back of back-to-back Henriques jumpers.

Howard's advantage wouldn't last forever, as the Cobras roared back into the contest. With neither team shooting well, defense was the name of the game down the stretch. Howard used the prolonged periods of scoreless play to their advantage, bleeding the clock as much as they could. With one minute left, Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) hit a crucial three to make it a one point game, but the next two Howard possessions came up short. A pair of missed layups led to Parkland free throws, and the Cobras clinched the victory with a last-second dunk to go up six.

Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) finished as the leading scorer for the Dragons with 13 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Arthur Roaché added ten points off the bench along with five rebounds. Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) added nine points, nine rebounds, and two steals, while Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) scored nine points. Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) added six points off the bench, while Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) scooped up five rebounds.

The Dragons will play a consolation game against Macomb Community College on Friday at 2:00 PM, with the winner advancing to the national fifth-place game on Saturday!