Cardinals Struggle on the Boards, Fall to Hagerstown
By Isaac Donsky
Catonsville, MD. -- CCBC Catonsville men's basketball fell to the Hawks of Hagerstown Community College on Wednesday night 81-71 at home in the Jack Manley Wellness & Athletics Center.
In a low-scoring game dominated by turnovers and fouls, the Cardinals (3-13) struggled to keep up with the Hawks, despite three players scoring in double digits.
Catonsville was hampered by strong defense from the Hawks (4-11), who gobbled up 51 total rebounds compared to just 23 for the Cardinals.
Catonsville found themselves in a tight game early, as both teams traded the lead in the opening minutes of the first half.
Behind a pair of early three-pointers by sophomore guard Joacquin Gonzalez (McKinley Tech), the Cardinals pulled out to an 18-15 lead halfway through the first half.
Hagerstown regained the lead, then began to pull away as they took an 11-point lead with three minutes to go.
Needing a spark, the Cardinals turned to a new addition to the team. Freshman point guard Maurice Smith (Newtown), making his first appearance for the Cardinals, shot 3-5 from the paint and knocked down two three-pointers to help the Cardinals tie the score at 36.
It would be the closest Catonsville would get to the lead the rest of the night, as Hagerstown scored six unanswered points to close out the half, leading 42-36.
The second half saw both teams struggle with foul trouble, as Hagerstown made 18 trips to the free-throw line, while Catonsville made 23.
The Cardinals were unable to capitalize and Hagerstown opened up a 16-point lead with eight minutes to go.
Despite a 14-point second half for Gonzalez, the Cardinals could only manage to lessen the deficit closer than 10 points.
Gonzalez led the Cardinals with 26 points, adding four rebounds and two steals.
Freshman guard Jalen Yates (Baltimore City College High School), making just his third start of the season, added 12 points.
Smith shined off the bench in his first appearance for the Cardinals, contributing 18 points, three rebounds, and two steals.
Next up for the Cardinals is a road game against Lackawanna College on Saturday, January 15 at 3 p.m.
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