By Jack Creegan and Daniel Fama
LARGO, MD -- In a battle of the Owl's, No. 1 seed Harford took the floor against the host team, No. 8 seed Prince George's. The game featured the most electric atmosphere thus far in this year's Maryland Juco Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, as Harford earned a wire to wire 90-78 win.
How It Happened
1st Half
A back and forth first half started with Harford sprinting out to an early 29-13 lead, turning 13 Prince George's turnovers into 20 points. Most of Harford's points came in the paint, where they scored 30.
Prince George's would not stay down for long, as they rallied to cut Harford's lead to one point with 2:24 left in the half. Prince George's was able to keep it close, largely due to a bench which contributed 18 points and solid free-throw shooting (13-16).
Harford's hot start was thanks to an impressive 18-point first half performance by Khalil Williams-Diggins.
Halftime Score: Prince George's 34, Harford 40.
2nd Half
Harford's dominance continued into the second half, as they jumped out to a 12-point lead early.
Anytime Prince George's looked to be gaining a little momentum, Harford was able to answer right back and reestablish a sizable lead.
The difference in this game was Harford's ability to score inside the paint. While the Fighting Owl's struggled mightily from three-point range, they were able to win the lane battle, outscoring the Owls 48-38.
Prince George's did not go away quietly, though and cut the lead to five with just under four minutes to play. The Novak Field House came alive as Prince George's looked as if they were about to mount a comeback, but an offensive foul call killed their building momentum.
Shiloh Beale and Gus Stone had massive games off the bench for Prince George's, scoring 21 and 17 points, respectively.
On the Harford side, Williams-Diggins had a solid game with 23 points, while Martin Kelly Jr. recorded a double-double, registering 25 points and 11 rebounds.
In the end, Harford proved to be too much for Prince George's to handle in route to a return trip to the semifinals.
Harford was also the only high seed to win its quarterfinal contest.
Quotes and Notes
"It was a crazy day," said Harford head coach Mike Smelkinson. "We were following along and man Prince George's is a good team; they're not your typical eight seed and this is a home game for them. Last week's [98-92 overtime regular season win over Prince George's] took a lot out of us. So, coming down here and beating them again make me proud of my guys for being motivated and getting the win."
"For me [the turning point] was when we started to make free throws at the end of the game," Smelkinson said. "Last week we missed 26 free throws down here. So the games never out of reach for your opponent if you're missing your free throws. Once we started calmly knocking them down at the end I started to feel safe."
