Cardinals Survive Tough First Half, Dominate NOVA in Second Half

CCBC Catonsville's men's basketball team returned from their Thanksgiving break on fire, defeating the Nothern Virginia Community College Nighthawks 89-69 on Tuesday evening for their third win of the season.

With three players scoring in double digits, the Cardinals jumped to a 20-point advantage after keeping the game close throughout the first half. Massive nights from sophomore guard Keith Bullock Jr. (Cardozo) and sophomore forward Christopher Johnson (St. George's High) kept the Cardinals in control.

Catonsville pulled out to a 15-4 lead in the first half behind a wonderful shooting performance from sophomore guard Jalen Yates (Baltimore City). Yates knocked down two three-pointers in the opening five minutes as the Cardinals looked nearly unstoppable. The lead started to shrink late in the half as NOVA capitalized on Catonsville's mistakes and fouls. A foul by freshman Kaleb Gray allowed the Nighthawks to take a 23-22 lead with five minutes to go.

Trailing by a point with 20 seconds before the half, the Cardinals got a much-needed boost when Yates nailed another pair of threes. With a 32-30 lead at the half, the Cardinals started the second half off with a flurry of scoring to pull away from NOVA. The Nighthawks kept the game close, trailing 42-40 six minutes into the half. With ten minutes to go, the tide turned as freshman guard Carlos Green (Pikesville) nailed a massive three-pointer to put the Cardinals up 53-43. It was all red and white from there, as the Cardinals extended their lead to 20 at the game's end.

Bullock finished as the leading scorer for the Cardinals, netting 16 points and six assists. Johnson had 15 points himself, along with a season-high eight rebounds. Yates scored 14 points, all in the first half, and nailed four three-pointers. Freshman guard Curt Smith Jr. (Virginia Post Grad Academy) came off the bench to add eight points and a pair of rebounds.

Catonsville's next contest will be a road game against Jamestown Community College this Saturday.