A poor first half and some tough luck at the end proved too much for Anne Arundel Community College's men's basketball team yesterday in a 78-75 loss to visiting Montgomery-Germantown.
The Pioneers (2-3) rallied from a 40-28 deficit at halftime and had a chance to send the game into overtime, but last-second shots from Nat Scott and Aderio Jones rattled out of the rim.
Jones didn't miss many others, finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Scott had six points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Sylvester Clarke added 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Demetrius Ballard had 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. Tony Curro had five rebounds and eight assists.
Both of Anne Arundel's previous losses this year were by seven points, to Garrett and Dundalk -- games that coach Mike Tummings said his team should have won.
"We haven't been out of a game yet," he said. "We easily could have started out 4-0."
The Pioneers blew a 13-point second-half lead against Garrett, losing 70-63. Jones (23 points) and Scott (15) were their high scorers.
Jones had 22 points and nine rebounds in Monday's loss to Dundalk. Clarke added 18 points and 19 rebounds, Ballard had 10 rebounds, and Curro had nine assists and five steals.
Clarke's 19 rebounds were the most by an Anne Arundel player in Tummings' three seasons as coach.
Jones scored 37 points and Curro had 27 in Saturday's 111-92 win over Harford. Both players made five three-pointers.
Clarke added 15 points and 13 rebounds, and did a good job of shutting down Harford's Tykell Johns in the second half.
"We have a good nucleus of people to build around: Jones, Clarke, Curro and Scott," Tummings said. "They're good defensively, they're good scorers and they distribute the ball equally well."
Jones, Curro and Scott make up Anne Arundel's three-guard alignment, a necessity because the team doesn't possess much height.
Women's basketball
Anne Arundel is off to a 4-0 start, and a balanced offense has been the primary reason. At least 10 Pioneers have scored in every game, including Sunday's 68-55 win over the Naval Academy's JV team.
Denise Perrone had 13 points to lead Anne Arundel over the NTC Midshipmen. Brandee Snyder and Dara Cohen each had 12, and Chiara Lee added 11.
"We have a lot of scoring punch," said coach Tom Smith, who worried about his team's sluggish offense during preseason scrimmages. "Some of them score better against a zone than man-to-man, and others do well against a man, too. It's a nice mix."
The Pioneers are averaging around 79 points a game, compared to 69 last year. But their defense has slipped a bit, giving up around 53 points, compared to 49 last year.
Smith blames that minor regression to his team playing more of a transition game this season. The Pioneers are applying more pressure, too, because they go 13 deep.
"They're all working hard," Smith said. "I'm looking forward to a good year. We're starting to have a good chemistry on this team. And we're getting a lift from our bench."
Cohen has given Anne Arundel a boost, scoring 17 points in a 84-55 win over Christendom (Va.) Nov. 30, and 20 in last Thursday's 80-25 romp over Dundalk. She made four three-pointers against Christendom.
"She's starting to work with her legs more," said assistant coach Joe Snowden. "We've been emphasizing that from Day One. This will help her be a better shooter."
The Pioneers are home tomorrow for a 7 p.m. game against Prince George's.