Riverhawks Fall Short in Loss to Montgomery College

The Details

            Final Score: Riverhawks 62, Montgomery College Raptors 69

            Updated Records: AACC 2-19 overall, 1-11 conference. Raptors 19-5 overall, 9-3 conference

            Location: Anne Arundel Community College – Arnold, MD

            Box Score: Found here

            Media Gallery: Game Video Game Photos (courtesy of student intern Nyia Curtis)

Game Notes

            The Riverhawks dropped, 69-62, against conference opponent Raptors from Montgomery College this weekend (2/3), hosted at Anne Arundel Community College.

            It was a quiet start for both teams on the late Saturday afternoon, with the first basket netted by the Riverhawks a few minutes after the opening tip-off. Feeling each other out, the two teams would trade the lead six times before the Raptors would make a hard push.

Capitalizing on turnovers and missed shots by AACC, Montgomery would hit some key buckets beyond the arc while also finishing their pull-up jumpers to give themselves a comfortable 10 point lead midway through the first half.

            Shooting just 10-29 on the floor and 2-7 from beyond the arc, the Riverhawks would remain down by 10 (34-24) as they headed into locker room at half time.

            Consistent to the first half action, the Raptors maintained a large lead over the Riverhawks and reached their largest advantage at 16 during the second.

With 11 minutes left to play, the Riverhawks seemingly changed gears and began to make a push against the Raptors. Now capitalizing on the Raptors missed shots, the Riverhawks were able to string a few together and cut their deficit down to 5. Coming up with some big offensive rebounds to allow them to score on second chances, the Riverhawks were down by just 3.

            With just 5 minutes left in the game, another crucial offensive rebound by Clinton Smith (Glen Burnie, MD/Old Mill) dished out to Terry Kenner (Glen Dale, MD/DuVal) to drill the bucket, the Riverhawks had found the lead (56-55) for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.

A technical foul given to the Montgomery head coach on the next possession would send Miles Dobson (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills) to line, where he finished on both free throws – Riverhawks now lead 58-55.

            With adrenaline running high, the Riverhawks would unfortunately commit shooting fouls on the next two Raptor possessions. With each shooter finishing their and-one opportunities, Montgomery took back the lead with a quick, 6-point swing.

            Missing some 3-point shots, and having to send the Raptors to the free-throw line to stop the clock, AACC was struggling to get within reach.  Down by 5 with 30 seconds remaining, Montgomery College would finish on one last fast break and ultimately earn the victory, 69-62, over the Riverhawks.

            Kenner would finish leading the Riverhawks with 19 points and 7 rebounds on the day, shooting 7-17 from the floor, 3-6 from beyond the arc, and 2-2 at the free-throw line. Dobson would finish with 12 points, and Jacoby Rojas (San Angelo, TX/Northeast) would finish with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Smith would grab his 7^th double double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Smith and Kenner have recently found themselves among the conference leader board – Kenner ranked 5^th overall for points per game (18.2) and Smith ranked 4^th overall for rebounds per game (9.0).

Up Next

            The Riverhawks will travel to Cecil College for their next match-up, facing the NJCAA DII Region XX Seahawks. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Cecil College Campus in North East, MD.

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