Howard Community College’s men’s and women’s basketball teams both suffered losses in the Region 20 tournament semifinals Saturday, Mar. 11.

The men’s team, which was the #1 seed in the men’s tournament, was upset by the #4 seed Montgomery College Raptors 69-61. Sophomore guard Koby Baptiste and sophomore forward Marquis Freeman tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 points apiece. Sophomore forward/center Aljaz Vidmar led the Raptors in scoring with 14 points.

The two teams previously played each other during the regular season in Rockville, MD in a game the Dragons won 68-59. Freshman guard Shane Taylor led the team in scoring with 14 points on 3-7 FG.

The Dragons shot 45.83% from the field in the first half, whereas the Raptors shot 53.85%. Both teams struggled from the field in the second half, shooting 27.74% and 33.33% respectively.

One of the deciding factors of the game was bench points. The Raptors bench scored 32 points while the Dragons bench only managed to score 8 points.

The loss took away from what was still a remarkable season for the Dragons. The Dragons finished the season with an overall record of 22-7, 9-1 in the conference which was their third straight 20-win season in a row. However, with 8 sophomores on the roster, the team might look very different next season.

The women’s team, which was the #4 seed in the women’s tournament, endured a rough 95-52 loss to the #2 nationally ranked CCBC Essex Knights. Freshman forward Mikiyah Mallet led the team in scoring with 18 points. Sophomore guard Faith Blackstone led the Knights in scoring with 21 points.

The two teams faced each other during the regular season in Columbia, MD in a game the Lady Dragons lost 81-60. Freshman guard Nhaikyia Smith led the team in scoring with 21 points.

Both teams shot poorly in the first half with the Lady Dragons shooting 26.9% from the field in the first half compared to the Knights shooting 27%. However, the Knights rebounded in the second half, shooting 44.6%.

One of the deciding factors of the game was turnovers. The Lady Dragons turned the ball over an astonishing 32 times, for an average of a turnover every one minute and 25 seconds, while the Knights only turned the ball over 17 times. The Knights scored 45 points off the 32 turnovers. Another deciding factor was bench points, similar to the men’s game. The Knights totaled 39 points while the Lady Dragons totaled 0 points.

Despite the loss, the Lady Dragons enjoyed another season of success under the direction of head coach Eryn Barnes and assistant coach Conor Rice. The Lady Dragons finished the season with an overall record of 18-8, 7-3 in the conference. Barnes’ .700 win percentage this season made it her third straight winning season as head coach.

Regardless of the defeats in the Region 20 tournament semifinals, both the men’s and women’s basketball programs enjoyed successful seasons and will look to build upon them during the 2023-24 campaign.