By Chase Carty

Both of Montgomery College’s basketball teams were on the road last weekend for their regular-season debuts. On Saturday, the men’s team traveled to Takoma Park where they’d decimate the Washington Adventist University Shock 82-51. The following day, the women’s team traveled to Baltimore to steamroll the Baltimore City Community College Panthers 69-42.

Men’s Team

The Raptors took this game by a wide margin, but the first half had fans convinced that it’d remain relatively close until the final buzzer. The Shock trailed by only nine points at halftime, and the Raptors were struggling immensely with their shooting, only converting on 9 of their 27 shot attempts.

To make matters worse, they couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc, missing all ten of their three-point attempts for the half. The Raptors only took the half because of their relentless ability to get to the free throw line, as they shot 13/18 (72.2%) from the charity stripe as opposed to the Shock’s lackluster 3/5 (60%).

The second half was a much better outing for the Raptors; they increased not only their shot efficiency, but volume as well.  Their field goal percentage went from 33.3% to 43.9% on 14 more attempts, and they made 5 of their 12 three pointers after going scoreless from behind the arc in the first. This improvement from the field alongside 10 more free throws added up to 51 second half points, a 20 point increase from their first half total.

The Raptors displayed a brilliant brand of team basketball that also picked up in this second half that contributed to their overwhelming scoring production. 14 of the roster’s 17 players played and scored; that many players playing, let alone scoring is an uncommon feat.

Notable individual performances (* indicates team leader)

• Benito Cala Jr, Backup Guard – *11 Points 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 14 minutes played.
• Mateusz Szpin, Starting Center – 8 points, *10 rebounds, *6 blocks.
• Alexander Cadet, Starting Guard – 10 points, *3 steals, 10 minutes played.

Women’s Team

The Raptors had a second-half surge in this game as well; they closed the first half only winning by seven points, but achieved a 27-point margin at the sound of the final buzzer. This was primarily due to their dominance in the third quarter, only allowing 3 points in 10 minutes of play, while scoring 17 of their own.

Unfortunately, the Panthers’ stats were not recorded so comparisons outside of team points cannot be made; however, the Raptors had a masterclass in the rebounding department regardless of however many the Panthers pulled down. They grabbed a total of 65 rebounds with three players– freshmen Tiara Carey and Yaheera Williams, and Sophomore Kennedy Clifton– recording 10+ boards.

Notable individual performances (* indicates team leader)

• Kennedy Clifton, Starting Center – 13 points, *22 rebounds (*11 offensive).
• Promise Whitmore, Starting Guard – *21 points, 9 rebounds, *3 steals, 58% fg.
• Tiana Carey, Starting Guard – 18 points, 13 rebounds, *3 assists.

Last weekend’s success is hoped to be a common theme as the season progresses. The men’s team’s next game is at the MC Rockville campus tomorrow, November 9 at 7:00pm where they’ll be facing the Camp Community College Hurricanes. The Womens’ game will also be taking place at the MC Rockville campus at 5:00pm, in which they’ll be taking on the Delaware Technical Community College Road Runners.