BEL AIR, Md. — Harford Community College men's basketball broke out offensively and cruised past Baltimore City Community College, 110-78, Monday night at APG Federal Credit Union Arena. The Fighting Owls shot a season-high 57.7 percent from three-point range and got a historic performance from redshirt guard Tre Powell (Rockville, Md.), who drilled a program record 10 three-pointers on his way to a collegiate career-high 34 points.
Harford (8-10, 4-4 Maryland Juco Athletic Conference) led wire-to-wire, opening a 42-31 advantage at halftime and extending the margin in the second half through efficient shooting and balanced contributions. Powell's long-range barrage keyed the early separation and Harford continued to apply pressure on the perimeter throughout the contest.
Powell's record night came on 10-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc and 10-of-17 overall from three, as well as 4-of-5 at the free-throw line. He finished one of the most prolific scoring nights in program history with zero turnovers and four rebounds in 28 minutes of action.
"During pregame, I like to get my hard shots out of the way," Powell said. I like to shoot on the move, break a sweat and trying to simulate what's going to happen in the game. I'm okay with missing a few of those in warm up because I just got to get the rhythm down and hit enough. By the end of warm up, I was like, 'Today might be a good day.' I actually missed my first two shots, but after that second miss I felt good and knew I just had to shot a little bit harder."
Harford connected on 15-of-26 (57.7 percent) of its three-point attempts as a team and shot 39-of-73 (53.4 percent) overall, well above its season averages. The Fighting Owls also outweighed the Panthers on the scoreboard in free throws, where they went 17-of-24 (70.8 percent), while forcing 20 turnovers and converting them into 37 points.
Guard Kehdinga "Junior" Tutuwan (Silver Spring, Md.) added 12 points on 5-of-6 field goals, including a three-pointer and provided three assists. Forward Roy Palmer (Capital Heights, Md.) chipped in 10 points, going 4-7 from the floor and hitting two free throws. Theo Hess (Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia) contributed nine points and Darion Parris (Aberdeen, Md.) scored eight. Jacobi Harper (Chesapeake, Va.) also scored seven off the bench.
Harford shot with remarkable efficiency early. After a few quick baskets, Powell knocked down consecutive triples in the first half to help stake the Fighting Owls to a seven-point lead. Harford finished the frame shooting 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) overall and 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from long range, entering the locker room ahead by 11 points.
Baltimore City (2-13, 0-9) was paced by Antonio Fliggins, who scored 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three. Diallo Long added 14 and Jamar Payen scored 10 for the Panthers. Despite those individual efforts, the Panthers struggled to contain Harford's perimeter accuracy and manage the Fighting Owls' depth advantage.
In the second half, Harford maintained its momentum. Powell added another five threes in the final frame, finishing 5-of-9 from downtown after intermission. Harford shot 26-of-45 (57.8 percent) in the second half and hit 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) from three on its way to building a lead as large as 32 points late.
"Tre was really making shots tonight and the team around him did their job and he was hot, Harford head coach Solomon Zurier said. "The rest of the guys just kept finding [Tre] when he was open and he didn't let us down."
Defensively, Harford held Baltimore City to 52.9 percent shooting in the second half but limited high-percentage opportunities and forced 20 total turnovers. The Fighting Owls also outscored the Panthers 44-28 in points in the paint and 37-5 in points off turnovers, underscoring the defensive pressure that created easy offense.
Harford's bench contributed meaningfully, combining for 56 points and allowing the Fighting Owls to sustain their lead throughout the second half. The depth and shooting balance made it difficult for the Panthers to mount a comeback and Harford closed out the contest with a strong defensive stand, holding Baltimore City to just six points in the final minutes.
The Fighting Owls will look to build on the victory as they return home tonight against CCBC Catonsville, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at the APG Federal Credit Union Arena.
