Cardinals Can't Mount a Comeback Against the Owls

The CCBC Catonsville Cardinals men's basketball team suffered their seventh loss of the season Wednesday night, falling to the Prince George's Community College Owls by a final score of 102-93.

In a game dominated by fouls and lots of scoring, the Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, only to have it swiftly taken away by the Owls to end the first half. The second half saw the Owls establish a massive lead, only for Catonsville to pull within striking distance in the final minutes.

Catonsville quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first, then played a game of keep away from the Owls throughout the remainder of the half. Aided by eight points off the bench for freshman guard, Jalen Yates (Baltimore City College HS), the Cardinals extended their lead to eight midway through the first half, leading 23-15.

The fouls began to pile up for both teams around this time, as the Owls and Cardinals combined for 19 trips to the free throw line and 33 total fouls in the first half. Prince George's tied the game off a free throw with 4:23 to go, took the lead for good with 3:35 remaining, and didn't look back as they extended their lead to ten points at the half. To add insult to injury, the Owls nailed a buzzer-beater from halfcourt to make the halftime score 48-38.

The Owls continued to extend their lead in the second half, jumping out to a 20-point advantage halfway through. While Catonsville had three players score double-digits in the half, consistent foul trouble kept the Cardinals from making up any ground. However, just as they had done in their last game, the Cardinals began a slow climb back. Behind 16 points from freshman guard Christopher Johnson (St. George's High), the Cardinals managed to pull within seven points with 2:25 to go.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough. The Owls regained their composure and aided by several untimely fouls from the Cardinals, managed to pull away in the final two and a half minutes, dribbling out the final 24 seconds. The loss drops the Cardinals to 2-7 (0-2) on the season.

Johnson finished as the leading scorer for the Cardinals, dropping 23 points while also leading the team with eight rebounds and five steals. Yates finished with a career high in points for the third game in a row, scoring 18 on the night. Freshman guard Damien Hopkins (Oakland Mills) and freshman small forward Austin Smith (Randallstown) also scored in double digits for the Cardinals, adding 16 and 10 points respectively.

Next up for the Cardinals is a road trip to Chesapeake College on Friday, December 3rd.

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