Danville, IL - In their final game of the 2024-25 season, the Howard Community College men's basketball team lost to the Macomb Community College Monarchs 71-69 to close out a season to remember.

Despite a 25-point day from freshman Dragon Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson), the Monarchs would score a last-second layup to win a tight contest that came down to the wire. Howard's incredible season, in which they won back-to-back Region 20 championships and won their first tournament game since 2013, had come to an end.

Last Friday's game was a back-and-forth battle from the start, as the Dragons fell behind by nine early. But behind solid shooting from Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) in his final junior college game, and solid rebounding by the Dragons forwards, Howard roared back in to make it a contest. SIncere Barfield came alive in the final minutes of the first half, hitting several momentum-shifting threes and nailing his free throws to get the Dragons within three points. Aided by a deep three from Arthur Roaché and several more circus shots from Barfield, the Dragons would take the lead late in the half. Macomb fired back to take a three-point lead at the buzzer, but for the third-straight tournament game, the Dragons had made their presence felt.

The Monarchs came out of the half on fire, scoring nine unanswered points to take an eleven-point lead. The Dragons let loose their three-point shooters in response, and behind deep threes from Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) and Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson), Howard fought back into the contest. Macomb's lead hovered around double-digits for much of the half, but the Dragons kept fighting. With time winding down, crucial layups from Roaché and Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) got the Dragons within a possession. With 12 seconds left, Roaché nailed a deep jumper to tie the contest at 69-69. But seconds later, Macomb hit a game-sealing shot to take a 71-69 lead. Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) attempted a half-court heave, but the magic had run out on the Dragons season. Johnson's shot was off, giving Macomb the win and the Dragons an end to their season.

In a preview of what is to come for the Dragons, Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) finished the evening with a season-high 25 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) completed his Howard career with 14 points and five rebounds, while Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) completed a tremendous run with 12 points, while Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) finished with nine points and four rebounds. Arthur Roaché made crucial shots down the stretch, finishing with seven points, while Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) added six assists in his final game for the Dragons.

Friday's game marked the final game for Dragon's sophomores Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise), Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills), Colin Harshman (Baltimore, MD/Catonsville), Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin), Arthur Roaché, Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach), and Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny). Henriques finished as the leading scorer for the Dragons on the season with an average of 12.1 points per game. Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) led the team in rebounds with 7.3 per game, as well as blocks with 1.3 per game. Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) finished the campaign leading the team in assists with 4.4 per game, while Christian Dean (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) led the team in steals with 2.2 per game. The Dragons most efficient shooter on the season was freshman Nathan Hiteshew (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake), who shot .571 from the floor, .500 from three point range, and 1.000 from the free throw line.

Despite their final loss, the Dragons forged their name at nationals. All three tournament games were close matches, with two coming down to the final shot. The Dragons will look to ride this momentum into next season, with preseason games anticipated to begin in late October.