McHenry, MD – Garrett College stayed unbeaten in NJCAA Division II Region 20 play, improving to 5-0 in the region last week with a pair of lopsided men's basketball victories against region opponents.
The Lakers routed Community College of Beaver County, 93-78, last Wednesday and raced past visiting Potomac State College of West Virginia University, 86-58, on Saturday. Garrett has won four of its last five games to improve to 10-3 overall heading into the team's winter break.
"I thought we played really well on Saturday," said GC head coach Matt McCullough, noting PSC is one of the Lakers' historical rivals. "Our guys were just really ready to go. They seem to have a pretty good understanding of what a big game means.
"We found another gear for Saturday and executed well," McCullough added. "Everything we were trying to do was working. It just all clicked."
The division is really good. The competition night in and night out, anybody can beat anyone. It's a good place to be. We're off to a really good start – but we've got more work to do. It's only going to get harder from here, but we've put ourselves in a really good position."
Carmello Myles had a team-high 21 points to go with seven rebounds, six steals, three assists, and two blocked shots against PSC. Nasir Coleman, who dished out eight assists and came up with three steals, added 16 points, while Gavin Jackson (five rebounds) and Cory Harper (4-of-6 shooting) each contributed 11 points.
The Lakers, who built a 38-17 halftime lead, shot 53 percent from the field.
GC and Montgomery College (9-1, 4-0) are the last unbeaten teams in NJCAA Division II Region 20. They meet January 22nd at Garrett College for a 7 p.m. contest.
GC 93, CC Beaver 78
Monaca, PA – Cory Harper hit 6-of-13 shots, including 4-of-9 from the 3-point line, while scoring a team-high 17 points off the bench for the Lakers against Beaver County.
"Cory is playing with a lot of confidence," said GC head coach Matt McCullough. "From the Frederick game on, he's come off the bench and given us a huge spark."
In the four-game stretch since the Frederick contest, Harper is shooting 63 percent from the field and 67 percent from the 3-point line, averaging 14.3 points on just eight shots per game.
"Once he had that first good game, I really felt he was going to click," said McCullough. "It's not just his shooting that's helped us – it's his overall game."
Carmello Myles added 16 points, six rebounds, three steals, and three blocked shots while fellow Lakers K'Shawn Scott (eight rebounds) and Gavin Jackson scored 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Marqui Olds and Nasir Coleman just missed double figures with nine points each; Keyonta Johnson scored eight points as 10 Lakers made their way into the scoring column.
GC sprinted to a 50-34 halftime advantage.
Damon Astorino scored a game-high 18 points in a losing effort for Beaver County (5-9, 1-2).
The Lakers are off until January 8th when they play a 7 p.m. game at CCBC Catonsville.
Hagerstown 99, GC 86
Hagerstown, MD – Najeh Allen scored a team-high 22 points as five Hawks hit double digits in last Monday's win over visiting Garrett College.
GC's Gavin Jackson scored a game-high 27 points, burying six 3-pointers along the way, in a losing effort. Nasir Coleman (seven assists) added 15 points and Cory Harper contributed 12.
