Raptors Knock Off The Dragons

On Saturday, December 14th, the 20th ranked Montgomery College Raptors (8-1) hosted the 16th ranked Howard Community College Dragons (7-2) in a Region 20 ranked vs ranked showdown. The Raptors executed down the stretch and won 70-67, and are now 4-0 in Region 20 play.

 

In the first half, the Raptors and the Dragons went back and forth trading buckets. The Dragons looked to slow the game down with their 2-3 zone, but Jordan Alphonso scored 6 quick points off of mid range jumpers. However, the Dragons were able to capitalize off of defensive miscommunications, scoring a majority of their points around the basket. The Raptor's lead got as high as 7, but Howard closed the gap over the last 9 minutes, going into halftime tied at 32-32.  Arthur Roché scored 13 points for the Dragons in the first half, and Mati Szpin dropped 9 points and 7 rebounds.

 

In the second half, the Raptors debuted some new defensive coverages and caused the Dragons to stagnate. The Raptors came out in a 2-3 zone for the first time this season, holding the Dragons to 9 total points in the first 9 minutes. After a timeout by Coach Wise, the Raptors caused havoc with a 1-2-2 press, which they ran for the first time all season. The press caused major problems for the Dragons, who had 10 turnovers in the second half and would routinely get into their offensive sets with around 16 seconds on the shot clock. Even with all this, the Raptors found themselves down 4 with under 3 minutes to go. The Raptors did not waver, and instead responded with an incredible sequence of plays. Mati Szpin blocked a shot and kicked it ahead to Thomas Loughry, who knocked down a three to bring the game within one. On the next defensive possession, Ibrahim Abdulmateen-Robinson intercepted a pass and converted a fastbreak dunk, putting the Raptors up one with 2 minutes to go. Mati Szpin then blocked another shot to force a Howard timeout, quelling any potential momentum. 

 

Coming out of the timeout, Mati Szpin blocked yet another layup, which led to another steal by Ibrahim Abdulmateen-Robinson. Ibrahim was then fouled, and knocked down 2 free throws. The Raptors stayed composed down the stretch, with Chris Levy hitting a turnaround jumper with 1 second on the shot clock to extend the lead to 4. Levy then hit 4 straight free throws to ice the game. This win moves the Raptors to 9-1 on the season ahead of the annual Holiday Tournament.