Box Score
HAGERSTOWN, Md. – No. 3 Baltimore City Community College posted a 74-71 win to upset No. 2 CCBC-Essex in the semifinal round of the 2011 Region XX Division II Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the RAC Center. The Panthers will play top-ranked Cecil College in the championship game at 1 p.m.
In the earlier meeting this season, Cecil (26-5) routed BCCC (20-10) 101-75 at the BCCC P.E. Center. The Panthers' 20 wins this season are the most in head coach Terry Maczko's five-year career at BCCC.
Essex (18-11) started the game on a 12-2 run, capped by a layup by Malcolm White with 15:40 left in the first half. But the Panthers went on a 9-2 run to get within one, 12-11, after a pair of free throws by Micah Fraction (Silver Spring, Md./Montrose Christian) with 12:48 left.
The Knights extended their lead to 10, 39-29, after a bucket by White at the 1:05 mark. Brandon Belt(Odenton, Md./Arundel HS) forced a steal and jammed a dunk on the other end to cut the Panthers' deficit to eight (39-31) at halftime.
Both teams came out hot in the second half, but BCCC quickly closed the gap. A jumper by Kendal Williams (Dover, Del.) tied things up at 48-all and then Fraction drained a 3-pointer with 12:46 left in the game to give the Panthers the lead for the remainder of the contest.
Essex got as close as two, 68-66, after a jumper by David Ford with 1:39 left in the game, but could get no closer.
Ford led the Knights with 24 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. White had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Frederick Brown scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Fraction tallied a team-high 22 points and had five rebounds. Belt contributed 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor and had four assists, three rebounds and three steals in a team-high 35 minutes.
Craig Ryan (Baltimore, Md./John Carroll HS) also scored in double figures with 10 points, while grabbing seven boards. Christian Diboko (Kinshasa, Congo) was a great defensive presence for the second straight game, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.
Log on to www.bcccpanthers.com for the latest on the Panthers run for the 2011 Region XX Tournament title.
