The Dragons were slayed yesterday with a season-ending loss to the Florida State College Blue Waves during the first round of the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament in Danville, Illinois. The Dragons’ leading scorer, sophomore Andrew Mills, who had 16.5 points, grabbed a defensive rebound then hit a three pointer to make the score 3-0, followed by a tough layup assist in the paint to sophomore guard John Thomas, who had 14 points and made the score 7-6. Afterwards, the Blue Wave went up 14-7 after Mills was fouled out of the game with two fouls, but HCC responded with John Thomas and freshman guard Emmauel Henriques to cut the deficit to a three point lead. Blue Wave sophomore guard Tarence Guinyard scored 15 points in 10 minutes as they led 24-11. The Dragons fell behind as much as 21 in the first half, but Mills once again calmed the shores for the Dragons followed by a corner three by freshman Christian Dean to force a timeout from the Blue Wave. The Dragons, however, still trailed 50-31 by halftime.
The Dragons came out on fire in the second half going on a 12-0 run with all five starters getting in. Mills continued to lead the Dragons with a step-back two and a put-back dunk to put the Dragons to only 56-47. Sophomore guard Ryan Conway knocked down back-to-back threes, and a steal by sophomore Jalen Bowie steel led to a fast break layup that cut the Blue Wave lead to only eight. This was the closest the Dragons got, as the Blue Wave eventually surfed their way into the second round, ending HCC’s season.
