Cardinals Drop Second Straight To Start Season

CCBC Catonsville's men's basketball team fell to 0-2 on the season as they were blown out by Lackawanna 72-44 on Thursday evening.

The Cardinals fell behind 21-2 early in the first half and never recovered, struggling to find momentum after the disastrous start. Despite the best efforts of the Cardinals bench, Catonsville would fall in their second straight blowout loss to open the season.

The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead on sophomore guard Maurice Smith's (Newton) layup. That would be the only lead they would have, as the Falcons dropped 21 unanswered points on the Cardinals. Using their size advantage and faster speed, the Falcons kept the game fast-paced, extending the lead to 24-8 with six minutes to go in the first half.

Catonsville finally started to find the net in the closing minutes of the first half. Sophomore guard Jalen Yates (Baltimore City) knocked down a pair of threes, but it could only make a slight dent in Lackawanna's lead. The Cardinals headed into the half trailing 39-20, needing a miracle to stay in the game.

The second half would see a much different contest, as Catonsville slowed the pace of the game to force Lackawanna to play on their terms. While the Cardinals did see improved production from the bench players, momentum couldn't be snatched away from Lackawanna. Freshman forward Chizitere Opara (Largo) was the lone star of the second half, recording six points off the bench.

Both teams spent much of the second half at the free-throw line, as an astounding 34 combined fouls were called. While the Cardinals had succeeded in slowing the pace of the game, they were unable to dig into Lackawanna's lead, falling 72-44 at the buzzer.

Smith finished the contest as the leading scorer for the Cardinals with nine points, three rebounds, and two steals. Freshman guard Curt Smith Jr. (Virginia Post Grad Academy) scored seven points and three rebounds, while Yates added six points.

Up next for the Cardinals is the CCBC Dundalk Mixer, where Catonsville will face Pitt Community College on Saturday and the Community College of Philadelphia on Sunday.