Men’s Basketball Finishes Regular Season As Maryland JUCO Champions
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Prince George's Community College (23-3, 12-2) | 43 | 33 | 76 |
|
Hagerstown Community College (12-13, 6-7) | 26 | 46 | 72 |
Prince George's Community College men's basketball closed out their regular season last night on Monday, February 13th by defeating Hagerstown Community College on the road. The 76-72 win secured the program's first Maryland JUCO conference championship since 1981 and marked the first time in history that a Division III program, which began competition in 1986, has won the conference championship. Prince George's moved from Division II to Division III in the fall of 2010.
The Owls historic win to claim the first ever conference championship by a DIII program came against Division I opponent Hagerstown Community College, who also hosted the last ever MD JUCO Tournament in 2019. Prince George's had previously won the tournament in 2017.
The Owls, who are currently ranked 7th in the nation, improved to 23-3 on the year with the victory which includes a 12-2 record in MD JUCO conference games.
Prince George's was led by sophomore Elijah Crawford (Oxon Hill, MD) who finished with 21 points on 80% (8/10) shooting from the floor and added 5 blocks against the Hawks who were held to 32% from the field. Despite being outshot by the Hawks 92-51, Prince George's capitalized on their opportunities, finishing with a highly effective 47% shooting performance from the field as a unit. The Owls continued to find success in getting to the free throw line as they forced their way to 35 attempts, while knocking down 24 of them. The Owls currently rank 4th in the country with an average of 25.1 free throw attempts per game, and 1st with 18.3 FT's made per game.
Deonte Cooke (Seat Pleasant, MD) and Jasir Tremble (Washington DC) both finished with 14 points apiece and combined for 11-for-12 from the free throw line.
The Owls performance on Monday wrapped up an already momentous regular season for Prince George's who earned its first 20-win season since the 2018-19 year when the program finished 22-6 which included a postseason run. Currently at 23 wins, first year head coach Terrell Harris and his squad have their eyes set on bigger goals to include a trip to Herkimer, NY for the National Championship beginning March 15th. Up first for the Owl is the Region 20 Division III Tournament in Youngwood, PA which begins next weekend on Friday, February 24th.
