Cougars outlast Cardinals in OT thriller to advance in Region XX tourney
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
28 | 40 | 17 | 85 |
|
|
31 | 37 | 7 | 75 |
CCBC Catonsville
| Game Statistics | Frederick Community College | CCBC Catonsville |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-51) | (0-0) |
| Field Goal % | 49.0% | % |
| Rebounds | 43 | 0 |
| Assists | 15 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 24 | 0 |
McHenry, Md. -- After defeating Northern Virgina Community College to clinch a spot and a chance to defend their Region XX title, the Cougars had over a week to prepare for CCBC Catonsville in the first round of the Region XX Tourney at Garrett College. Throughout the week, the Cougars prepared for everything that the high-scoring Cardinals would throw at them offensively. The Cougars executed the game plan and won a thrilling contest in overtime by the score of 85-75.
The first half was typical postseason basketball as both teams started out slow offensively and executed stingy defenses. Neither team led by more than three points in the half as both teams went back and forth getting stops and getting the occasional buckets. Six minutes into the game the Cougars led 9-8, and after many lead changes, led 28-27 with 1:55 to play in the first half. The Cardinals then went on a 4-0 run to take a 31-28 lead into halftime. FCC center Jacob McIntosh anchored the Cougars defense in the half collecting seven rebounds and blocking three shots. Keon Claiborne led FCC in scoring with seven points while Josiah Jones and Marlon White played valuable minutes and chipped in five points apiece.
The second half started slowly for Frederick as the Cardinals built their largest lead of the game at 38-31. FCC fought back to tie the game at 40-40 with 12:00 to play. From there, the Cougars went on a 12-3 run over the next four minutes led by Cyree Dunnell who either scored or assisted on six consecutive possessions, including a beautiful transition assist to Anthony Isaac for a one- handed slam. Frederick built their largest lead of the game at 52-43. After Catonsville clawed their way back to tie the game at 57-57, Dunnell scored seven of the team's nine points in a 9-2 run to push FCC's lead back to eight with 1:12 left to play, 67-59. Catonsville kept applying their pressure and made a miracle run in the last minute to tie the score at 68-68. A three pointer by Issac fell short and the game headed into overtime. Dunnell finished the half with 17 points.
Overtime belonged to the Cougars. After forcing a Cardinal turnover on the opening possession, White connected with McIntosh for an easy bucket. McIntosh scored on the next possession on an offensive putback. White then connected with Isaac and Dunnell for easy scores as FCC built their overtime lead to six just a few minutes into the period. From there Frederick got stops and came up big at the charity stripte as the Cardinals were forced to foul. They finished overtime 9-of-10 from the free throw line. The game was punctuated by a fast break two-handed slam by Dunnell, which capped off an explosive scoring performance by the Cougars in overtime with 17 points to take home the 85-75 overtime victory.
Cyree Dunnell and Keon Claiborne paced the Cougars with 17 points. Dunnell scored all of his points in the second half. Isaac finished the game with a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds). McIntosh finished the game with eight points (six in the overtime period), 13 rebounds, and four blocks. Keith Claiborne finished with 11 points and five assists. Marlon White finished with seven points and three assists while contributing great defense on Catonsville's star guard. Shane DeCellis added six rebounds for FCC.
FCC moves on to face College of Southern Maryland on Saturday afternoon at Garrett College. Tip-off is set for 2:00 P.M. at Garrett College. The Cougars are looking for a little revenge as CSM upended FCC during the regular season by the score of 84-79