Cumberland, MD – Garrett College dropped two of its three men's basketball games in the ACM Personal Best Classic, but it was far from a lost weekend for the Lakers.
"We've played the most games in the region, and it was by design," said GC head coach Matt McCullough Sunday after the Lakers' 77-63 loss to Niagara County Community College. "We are battled-tested and it isn't even the middle of November yet."
The Lakers lost to host Allegany College of Maryland, 99-92 in overtime, on Friday night before bouncing back to beat region rival Potomac State College of West Virginia University, 77-71, on Saturday. The loss to Niagara – ranked 11th in this week's NJCAA Division II national poll – could be traced to the Thunder Wolves' pressure defense.
"Their effort, physicality, and attention to detail makes their press very effective," said McCullough. "They were our third of three straight games, so we didn't have a chance to practice against their team-specific press."
The first half against Niagara was tight throughout, featuring eight ties and six lead changes. GC scored the final four points of the opening half, on a layup by Cassius Bonjasky (10 points, seven rebounds) that made it 28-28 and a corner jumper by Marquin Thompson that gave the Lakers a 30-28 lead at the break.
The second half was a different story.
Niagara scored the first eight points after intermission to take the lead for good while building a 36-30 cushion. LaMarqus Merchant Jr. (13 points, eight rebounds) started and finished the run with transition layups sandwiched between a pair of free throws each from Fenley Jean-Baptiste and Aaron Miller.
Marquin Thompson stopped the spurt with a Laker 3-pointer, and Garrett was still within six after Kamau Mitchell (game-high 20 points, five rebounds) nailed a corner jumper with 6:08 remaining. Niagara, however, then put the game away with a six-point possession that made it 65-53.
Allen Fordham (team-high 18 points) started the pivotal position by getting fouled while converting a layup. After GC's Tyrek Simmons (10 points, team-high eight rebounds) was assessed a technical foul, Fordham hit both technical free throws and the free throw to complete his three-point play.
With Niagara retaining possession due to the technical, Fordham was again fouled and split a pair of free throws.
Lamar Lovelace (11 points) was the third Thunder Wolf in double figures.
"We have a team full of guys who really care and there is no finger-pointing," said McCullough. "The locker room was silent after Sunday's game, and the bus ride was silent on the trip home. It shows how much it means to these guys, which as a coach you like to see."
McCullough again emphasized the opportunity to play good teams early.
"This schedule has allowed us to see our strengths and weaknesses, and it has presented us with so much adversity and challenges," he said. "This is only going to make us better down the road."
Garrett 77, Potomac State 71
Cumberland, MD – Kamau Mitchell scored a team-high 22 points and Marquin Thompson added 14 to help the Lakers hold off Potomac State College Friday night.
"We rebounded really well as a team and got many second-chance opportunities on a day where we didn't shoot it great," said GC head coach Matt McCullough, whose team collected 20 offensive rebounds, including eight from Cassius Bonjasky (10 rebounds, six points).
AJ Crosby was the third Laker in double figures with 10 points.
"We had good effort from our team again," added McCullough. "Fortunately, we were able to hold on when [PSC's Richard] Law continued to heat up in the end."
The Lakers built a 39-28 halftime lead on the way to the win.
ACM 99, GC 92 (OT)
Cumberland, MD – The host Trojans outscored Garrett, 14-7, in the overtime period to win a tight, physical contest.
"Our effort was tremendous. We just needed to capitalize on the opportunities we had to win the game," said GC head coach Matt McCullough, whose squad finished with a 50-36 rebounding edge, including 24-10 on the offensive boards.
"We had a few missed opportunities, a couple too many unforced defensive breakdowns, too many turnovers [17], and too many missed free throws [11]," added McCullough.
ACM's Tyson Oghene (game-high 36 points, including six 3-pointers) and Garrett's Kamau Mitchell (30 points, including five 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds) each put up impressive offensive numbers in the battle of Western Maryland rivals.
Brandon Hillard (16 points, nine assists, eight rebounds), Dalyn Brandon (14 points, five steals), Tekao Carpenter (13 points), and Leon Elung (12 points, 10 rebounds) supported Oghene offensively as every ACM starter hit double figures.
Lakers Tyrek Simmons (eight rebounds) and Korey Mitchum (three assists, two steals) each scored 11 points, while Nyrek Wheeler and Kamren Heathington put up identical double-doubles (10 points, 10 rebounds). Marquin Thompson scored 13 as six Lakers reached double figures.
Garrett visits Howard Community College Wednesday at 7 p.m. in their Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference opener. The Lakers conclude their November slate with 7 p.m. home games against the Community College of Allegheny County (November 22nd) and NJCAA Division II Region 20 rival Potomac State College of West Virginia University (November 29th)
