Women's semifinals -
Baltimore City guard Natasha Roy posted a game high 19 points in the win
Second seed Baltimore City pressured sixth seed Cecil College in to 18 first half turnovers to jump out to a 37-19 first half lead. Panthers guard Natasha Roy led all scorers with 12 points in the half. It appeared the game was all but over and then....Cecil came alive. Led by their trio of guards Nia Trusty (10 points), Diamond Rankine (12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) and Ny'Jayha Lockwood (10 points and 8 rebound), Cecil, outscored BCCC 31-12 to take a 50-49 lead at the 3 minute mark. However, BCCC wouldn't be denied as Roy and guard Kaneisha Afi hit clutch bucket after clutch bucket to help the Panthers escape with a 57-52 win. Roy finished with a game high 19 points while Afi added 10 points and 6 rebounds. BCCC will play the winner of Harford vs Chesapeake in the championship Sunday.
#1 Harford Community College vs Chesapeake College -
Fighting Owls sophomore Daisa Harris was relentless on her way to a 48 point performance
Harford sophomore guard Daisa Harris scored a school record 48 points to lead the Fighting Owls to a 115-62 win over Chesapeake College. Harris poured in 21 first quarter points as Harford led 31-15 after one. Chesapeake would never recover. Harford outscored Chesapeake 67-31 through the second and third quarters to blow the game wide open. Fighting Owls guard Danielle Durjan added 17 points and 8 rebounds to help pace Harford while Shahra Madison led Chesapeake with 19 points and 11 rebounds respectively.
Men's Semifinal -
Joe Hugley (#21) stepped up in the second half to help lead Baltimore City to the semifinal win
In a battle for Baltimore area bragging rights and the right to advance to the Maryland Juco Championship, Catonsville and Baltimore City went down to the wire. Down 64-63, Catonsville forward Everette Coker stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws to give the Cardinals a 65-64 lead with 46 seconds left. Baltimore City responded with a huge three pointer from guard Ronald Hammond to put the Panthers up 67-65. On the next possession and with time winding down, Coker looked to make a move and was trapped by Panther defenders which resulted in him throwing the ball out of bounds and with it, any chance of winning as Baltimore City escaped with a 67-65 win. Joe Hugley led Baltimore City with 16 points (14 in the second half) while forward Chad Andrews-Fulton posted a double double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assist. Catonsville was paced by Jalen Myrie who finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Baltimore City will play the winner of Harford and PGCC in the championship game Sunday.
In the semifinal finale, top seed Harford faced fifth seed Prince Georges Community College. The Fighting Owls got off to a hot start with a 17-9 lead thanks to three 3-pointers from point guard Aaron McDonald. PG tightened up their defense and got aggressive offensively to go on a 10-2 run, tying the game at 19 late in the first half. Harford responded with a couple of baskets off PG turnovers to close out the half on a 12-9 run as they led 31-28 at the half. The second half displayed an all out war. Neither team giving an inch as they exchanged leads for much of the half. It came down to end, with PGCC up 70-68. Harford inbounds the ball to Till who misses the point blank lay-up, forward Dom Keyes misses the offensive put back and Owls guard Alex Morales goes up among trees, grabs the rebounds and dribbles away to run the clock out as PG takes down top seed Harford to advance to the championship game where Baltimore City awaits. PGCC guard Alex Morales continued his stellar tournament play, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds while McDonald led Harford with a game high 21 points.