Owls Rally vs. Chesapeake, 75-74, Advance to Region Semi-Finals

The season continues for the Prince George's COmmmunity College men's basketball team, as the Owls erased a 12-point second half deficit to defeat the Chesapeake College Skipjacks, 75-74, in the Region 20 Division II Quarterfinals on Tuesday night. With the win, PGCC advances to Friday's Region 20 semifinals.

Prince George's opened the contest on its heels, turning the ball over on its first two possessions as Chesapeake capitalized to jump out to a 5-0 lead just three minutes into play. Brazil Hutchinson, who typically comes off the bench, earned the start Tuesday and delivered early for the Owls. Hutchinson scored 11 first half points on 60% shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, helping to keep Prince George's within reach.

Despite the effort from Hutchinson, Chesapeake maintained control for much of the opening half. After the teams were tied at 14, the Skipjacks used a 6-0 run to take a 20-14 advantage, forcing Owls Head Coach Terrell Harris to call a timeout less than a minute after the under-12 media break. Prince George's continued to claw back, but Chesapeake answered each surge as their lead grew to double digits late in the half. The Owls managed to trim it to nine before heading into the locker room trailing 43-34.

Prince George's found themselves down 12 early in the second half when La'Shaun Moody connected on a three to give Chesapeake its largest lead of the game with 16:13 remaining. Sophomore Kadon Fossett responded immediately with a three of his own, sparking an 11-2 run that trimmed the deficit to just three, 50-47, with 13 minutes to play.

PG continued to apply pressure down the stretch but struggled to fully seize control until the closing minutes. With 4:41 remaining, Dyan Carter converted an and-one opportunity to tie the game at 63. Moments later, Willie Rivera Jr. knocked down a three-pointer to give the Owls their first lead in over 16 minutes of game time, stretching back to the 14:37 mark in the first half. Moody answered on the other end with a three to put Chesapeake back in front, 70-68.

Rivera Jr. responded once again, banking in another attempt from beyond the arc to bring Novak Field House to its feet and give the Owls a 71-70 lead with 1:13 remaining. The two teams traded baskets before Chesapeake converted a pair of free throws to reclaim a 74-73 advantage with 29 seconds left, prompting Harris to call his final timeout.

After Prince George's initially lost possession, the Skipjacks were unable to secure the bacll as it went out of bounds, giving the Owls another opportunity with seven seconds left. Rivera Jr. found Paul Vance III in the corner, and Vance drove to the basket and finished a clutch layup with 2.1 seconds on the clock. Chesapeake's half-court heave fell short as time expired, sealing the one-point victory Prince George's.

The Owls now advance to the Region 20 Division II Semifinals, held at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD, where they will take on the #7 seed Montgomery College Raptors on Friday, March 6^th at 7 PM. The winner will move on to Saturday's Championship game at 3 PM against either top-seeded CCBC Dundalk of #5 WVU Potomac State College.