Columbia, MD - The 2025-26 men's basketball season came to a heartbreaking end for Howard Community College on Tuesday night, as the Dragons lost their Region 20 quarterfinal matchup against Montgomery College 95-93 in overtime.
In a high scoring affair, both teams took the court ready to battle it out and keep their seasons alive. The match started off extremely fast paced, with both sides going back and forth on the scoreboard. After seven minutes of play, the Raptors had built an eleven point lead.
The Dragons would not allow the score to rattle them early. Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) had eleven first half points and finished the game as the second leading scorer with eighteen points. Storming all the way back and taking the lead with three minutes left in the first half, Howard looked like they had found a groove. However, the Raptors hit a three to put them up by that many in the final seconds. At halftime, the Raptors were up 42-39.
Anticipation built as the second half continued. Howard was a lot more competitive despite playing from behind for a majority of the game. The Dragons got a boost from TaJir Webster (Waldorf, MD/St. Charles), the third leading scorer off the bench. His crucial baskets down the stretch kept the Dragons within striking distance. Webster finished with thirteen points, six rebounds, and a block. Kanye McMahon (Lexington Park, MD/Chopticon) was called on in this game and performed well, leading the team in rebounds and a huge three point play late in the second period.
Howard battled back from a nine-point second-half deficit, showing the resilience that defined its season. Sophomore guard Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) was the driving force on offense for the Dragons, tying the HCC men's record for points made in a single game. His outlandish three came when the Dragons needed it most; with five seconds left, Barfield hit a deep, contested, moving three from the wing to send it to OT. Barfield finished his Dragons' career with a career-high 35 points, six threes, five rebounds, and two steals.
In the extra period, Howard struggled, turning the ball over to start and giving up another basket to go down four. Sincere would rain down his sixth three in OT to bring them within three, then a strong layup from Webster cut it to a one point game. With seconds left in the extra period, Juan Bell (Silver Spring, MD/James Hubert Blake) stole an inbounds pass and found Webster for a crucial layup to tie it at 93-93. Montgomery's Ian Pascal pushed the tempo with seven seconds left and dumped it off to Jordan Emecheta who flushed it home with two seconds left. The full court heave did not go and the Dragons ended their season one basket away from continuing their playoff hopes.
Despite the loss, the Dragons delivered a gritty performance. Several players reached double figures, highlighting the balanced attack that kept them competitive through 45 minutes of play.
With the defeat, Howard's season concludes in the Region 20 quarterfinals, finishing with a campaign marked by steady growth and late-season momentum.
