McHenry, MD – Nasir Coleman is all about putting in the work – which is why his response to a recent shooting slump wasn't exactly surprising.
"I've just been getting in the gym the last couple of days, getting a lot of shooting reps, and putting in the extra work," said Coleman, who broke out of his slump in a dramatic way Saturday afternoon. The sophomore guard scored a game-high 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field as host Garrett College rolled past Community College Baltimore County-Dundalk, 93-77.
"Nasir really played well. He had a complete game – playing under control, finishing plays," said GC head men's basketball coach Matt McCullough, whose Lakers (19-8 overall, 8-4 region) won their seventh straight. "I'm happy for him. Seeing all of the work he's put in, and then seeing it come together, was really nice."
Carmello Myles (17 points, 15 rebounds), Gavin Jackson (16 points, four assists), Kam Heathington (12 points), and K'Shawn Scott (12 points) joined Coleman in double figures while Keyonta Johnson (eight points) just missed double digits.
Garrett (19-8 overall, 8-4 Region 20) moved into fourth in the regional standings, with Potomac State College of West Virginia University (17-11, 8-4) and Chesapeake College (20-5, 7-4) right behind. The Lakers finish the regular season Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. game at region opponent College of Southern Maryland (2-25, 1-12).
Dundalk started hot, building a 30-21 lead as Xavier Barrow scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the first 12 minutes. GC, however, took the lead for good with a 17-0 run that include three hoops each by Coleman and Heathington.
"We missed a couple of easy shots and got off to a sluggish start," said McCullough, whose squad finished the half with a 44-37 advantage. "We got back into the game with some defensive stops and some runouts in transition."
Dundalk pulled within 55-53 on a layup by Damien Hopkins (15 points), but GC responded with six straight points to regain control. Jackson threw in a running hook shot and then fed Heathington for a jumper before a Nasir layup rebuilt the GC lead to 61-53.
Garrett blew the game open with a 12-2 run that gave the Lakers a 73-58 cushion with 7:20 remaining. Coleman had five points, including a trey, and Scott had a pair of hoops during the surge.
The Lakers have a chance to reach 20 wins this week in a game against last-place College of Southern Maryland. That would permit GC to take an eight-game winning streak into the NJCAA Division II Region 20 tournament.
"We've talked all year about wanting to peak at the right time," said McCullough. "I think we're trending that way."
