It's a sweep!
The Harford Community College women's and men's basketball teams claimed the program's first MD JUCO Championships Wednesday night at Montgomery College. The women won, 67-59, over Hagerstown, while the men defeated Frederick, 83-76.
In the women's win, Jazmin Johnson earned Tournament MVP honors after leading the championship charge with a game-high 29 points. In the three contests against the Hawks this year, Johnson scored 42, 23 and 29 points. She added eight rebounds and six assists in the championship game.
With 5:18 remaining in what was an evenly played first half, Harford (the 2 seed) began an 11-0 run to end the half and hold its largest lead of the night at 33-20. Johnson scored seven of the 11 points, including a clutch triple and a layup at the buzzer. Hagerstown (the 4 seed) cut the lead to two, 54-52, with 4:22 left, but the Fighting Owls never trailed in the second half, and Johnson went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final :33 seconds to secure the title.
The Fighting Owls were appearing in their third consecutive MD JUCO Championship Game, but had come up empty in the previous two. This year's squad would not, however, be denied the school's first basketball championship.
Ashley Smith and Ashley Hightower both earned All-Tournament Team honors for their all-around performances. Smith, with 14 points and five steals on Wednesday, totaled 50 points in the tourney's three contests. Hightower recorded six points and nine boards in the title game and totaled 47 rebounds in the tourney.
Jasalyn Denkins tallied 10 points, seven boards and five steals while Mia Fitts chipped in with eight points, including a pair of triples.
Men win, too
The Harford men's championship saw the Owls (the 7 seed) beat top seed Frederick. The Fighting Owls defeated the three top seeds in the tournament to claim the conference crown.
Sophomore point guard Brandon Spain recorded the double-double and led all scorers with 28 points and 10 rebounds to solidify his Tournament MVP honors. Spain was the best player on the floor since joining the team in January and leading Harford to a 13-2 record. He totaled 69 points and 31 rebounds in the three games against the best competition.
The Fighting Owls connected on six triples in the first half and were 12-of-13 from the charity stripe en route to a 48-30 halftime lead. Harford led by as many as 22 in the opening frame, but the top-seeded Cougars would not go quietly.
The Fighting Owls led by 20 with 10 minutes left, but a 25-10 run by FCC, capped by a three-pointer with :29 seconds left by Taeshun Huffman made the score 79-74. Malachi Seney and Spain both connected on a pair of freebies in the final ticks to secure the program's first title.
Seney and Exzavier Cooper both landed on the All-Tournament Team. Seney finished with 16 points off the bench against Frederick, while Cooper had eight points and six boards. Alie Kondeh chipped in with 10 points off the bench on the night, while Jon Warren added seven markers.