Raptors Soar Over Cougars

On Saturday, January 11th, the 17th ranked Montgomery College Raptors hosted the Frederick Community College Cougars in a Region 20 matchup. The Raptors were in a battle for most of the first half, but pulled away for a comfortable 86-66 win.

 

Isaiah Gill started the game on a personal 7-2 run, forcing a Cougar time out after a pull up three pointer on a fastbreak. The Raptors offense was humming during the first half, but 11 turnovers and a horrid free throw percentage (3-11) allowed the Cougars to stay in the game. The Cougars clearly came into the game looking to make a statement, repeatedly trying to dunk on Raptors defenders in the paint. The Raptors blew the game open with 6:15 left in the first half by going on a 22-7 run to end the half. Their defense began forcing Cougar turnovers and allowed the Raptors to get out into transition, where they excel. A layup by Ibrahim Abdulmateen-Robinson with 4 seconds left capped the run, and the Raptors went into the locker room up 49-30.

 

The Raptors picked up right where they left off. Mati Szpin hit a three, and on the next half court possession was matched by Isaiah Gill. The Cougars were able to cut the lead to 15, but Thomas Loughry went nuclear and was able to close the door on any hope of a comeback. He hit 4 threes in a 3 minute span, including back to back heaters that caused the gym to erupt. Thomas finished the game with 21 points on 7 made threes, having now shot 50% or better from three in 3 of his last 4 games. Coach Wise was able to empty his bench, and the Raptors cruised to victory. This win put the Raptors at 13-2 on the season, 5-0 in Region 20 play, and keeps their undefeated record at home (9-0).