Men’s Basketball Reclaims Region 20 Title, Down Anne Arundel In Championship
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Anne Arundel Community College (10-13) | 31 | 40 | 71 |
|
Prince George's Community College (13-11) | 34 | 46 | 80 |
24 hours after their 114-110 double-overtime nail biter against Pennsylvania Highlands in the semifinals, the Owls again found themselves in a close battle – this time against Anne Arundel in the NJCAA Region 20 Division III Men's Basketball Championship. Despite 10 ties throughout the game, Prince George's never trailed on their way to an 80-71 victory to capture the Region 20 Title.
The Owls held a slim 34-31 lead over the Riverhawks at halftime with eight different players recording a bucket in the first half. Freshman Anthony Perry led all scorers at the break with 12 points. Dajuan McMillan added 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists while Alonzo Wilkes had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.
The Riverhawks quickly tied the game at 34 in the second half and proceeded to tie the score eight more times in the half but Prince George's continually responded with a basket to keep the Owls in front. The Owls and Riverhawks both shot the exact same from the floor, 26-for-66 (39.4%), but it was Prince George's who was able to finish down the stretch. The Owls connected on 18 of 20 (90%) of their attempts from the free-throw line in the second half, including 11 of 12 in the final two minutes to help secure the 9-point victory.
Perry finished as the Tournament's Most Valuable Player with a 20-point, 11 rebound double-double in the win. Teammate Saveon Jackson, who caught fire in the second half of the Owls semifinal against Penn Highlands, was named to the All-Tournament Team as he finished with 12 points (all coming in the second half) and 6 rebounds. McMillan put up a new career-high 13 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and had 4 steals. Deonta Dunlap finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds while Wilkes ended with 7 points and 7 rebounds.
The men's basketball team has now won nine Region 20 Titles in program history, three as a Division II program (1991, 1993, 2008) and six as a Division III program (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022). Sunday's victory earned William West his second region championship in his third season as head coach.
With the win the Owls will now host the reigning Division III National Champion and 2022 Region 10 Champion Sandhills Community College in the Mid-Atlantic District Tournament in Novak Field House on Saturday, February 26th at 3 PM. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the 2022 NJCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship in Rockford, Illinois from March 9-12.
