Battle for Region 20 Comes Down to the Wire

In a matchup to determine who would be the number one seed in the Region 20 playoffs, the CCBC Catonsville Cardinals and Howard Community College Dragons faced off in a game that came down to the final shot.

On an emotional sophomore night, the Cardinals and Dragons went back and forth in a game for the ages. Catonsville tied the contest with seconds left, only for the Dragons to hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer. The loss dropped the Cardinals to 18-11 on the season.

Catonsville dominated the first half, holding Howard to just 29 points. The Cardinals hit six three-pointers, three of which came from sophomore guard Jo-Nathan Kelly (Strawberry Mansion).

The second half saw a furious comeback by the Dragons, though Catonsville kept a tight lead. With two and a half minutes to play, the Dragons snagged the lead off a three-pointer from Ryan Conway. Catonsville responded as sophomore forward Jason Ogbolu (Calvert Hall) hit a free throw to tie the contest at 76 apiece. The game devolved into a back-and-forth affair over the final two minutes, culminating with a layup by sophomore forward Albright Obode (Plainfield) that tied the contest 81-81. With 15 seconds left, the Dragons got the ball back, and Conway sank a jumper at the buzzer to defeat the Cardinals.

Kelly finished as the leading scorer for the Cardinals with 21 points. Obode secured a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Lance Porter (Randallstown) had an excellent game with 16 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, while sophomore guard Murray Grant (Obra D. Tomkins) added 13 points.

Despite the loss, the Cardinals still secured the number two seed for the Region 20 playoffs.