BEL AIR, Md. — The Harford Community College Fighting Owls gave a spirited effort at the APGFCU Arena Friday night but ultimately fell 77-58 to the Garrett College Lakers in their Region 20 and Maryland Juco Athletic Conference opener.

Harford opened strong, taking a 19-18 lead after one quarter behind early energy and aggressive attack. But Garrett responded with three consecutive 18-point quarters to seize control and pull away.

First quarter: The Fighting Owls capitalized on their quick start, with junior forward Caryne Nelson (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) hitting a pair of inside lay-ups to tie the game 7-7 in about six minutes. Ayca Kazak (Samsun, Turkey) drained a 3-pointer to give Harford a 9-7 edge and Destaney Harris (Loch Raven) added a fast-break lay-up to make it 11-9. They finished the quarter shooting 8-19 (42.1 %) from the field and 2-6 (33.3 %) from long range.

Second quarter: Garrett turned up the pressure, while Harford's offense stalled. The Fighting Owls shot just 4-19 (21.1 %) from the field and managed only 1-11 from three in the period, scoring 12 points. Meanwhile the Lakers hit eight of 15 attempts and built a five-point cushion by halftime (36-31).

Second half: The third quarter followed the same pattern, as Harford again struggled to find rhythm — finishing 5-15 (33.3 %) and scoring only 12 points — while Garrett stayed steady and stretched its lead. In the fourth quarter, despite a modest fightback, the Fighting Owls were unable to chip the deficit meaningfully, posting 15 points on 7-19 shooting. Garrett closed it out with a 23-point final quarter, sealing the 19-point win.
Nelson led Harford with 19 points while converting 9-15 from the floor, pulling down six rebounds and adding three assists. Amya Goodsell (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) also had a strong night — 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists — as she was the only player to finish with a double-double.

Harford's defense allowed 44 points in the paint and 28 off turnovers, while the Fighting Owls themselves managed only 32 points in the paint and 19 off turnovers.

The Fighting Owls had moments of solid transition offense and rebounding presence, but the cold shooting stretches proved costly.

Harford returns to action this Friday on the road to play Baltimore City Community College and will be back home on Tuesday, Nov. 25 to host No. 3 (Division II) CCBC Essex. Tipoff for the latter is scheduled for 5 p.m.