Seahawks Cruise to Region 20 DII Title and Punch Ticket to National Tournament

The Cecil College men's basketball team crusied to another NJCAA Region 20 Division II title with consecutive wins over CCBC Dundalk, Montgomery College, and Howard Community College. The Seahawks rounded out their season with a record of 26-2 and head into the national tournament on a six-game winning streak.

In the first game on March 1st and earning a home game as the higher seed in the tournament, Cecil defeated CCBC Dundalk 95-75 to move on to the semi-finals against Montgomery College. CCBC Dundalk was led by Naasir Johnson with 29 points and six rebounds. Amear Johnson recorded 12 points and three steals in the loss. Sophomore guard Darell Johnson had a huge double–double for the Seahawks with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Hassan Corbin contributed with 13 points and three rebounds in the win. Sophomore guard Perren Gyan added nine points and three rebounds in the win.

In the semifinal game against Montgomery College on March 4th and hosted by Garrett College, Cecil defeated the Raptors 97-73 to advance to the championship game the following day. The Raptors were led by Marlon Pratt with 17 points and six rebounds. Marquise Trent added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors in the loss. For the Seahawks, sophomore guard Hassan Corbin led the way with a team high 24 points while adding seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Darell Johnson added 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists while sophomore forward Khalid Gates was two rebounds shy of a double–double but finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in the win.

In the finals of the tournament, Cecil was in a tight battle with Howard Community College for most of the contest. The Seahawks were only up by two going into the half until a late push extended their lead in the second half. The Seahawks prevailed over the Dragons 81-72 to be crowned NJCAA Region 20 DII Champions. The Dragons were led by David Garey with 23 points and three assists while Daeshawn Eaton added 15 points and five assists in the loss. The consistent duo of Darell Johnson and Khalid Gates each contributed key double–doubles in the win, each with 20 points and combined for 24 rebounds. Sophomore guard Hassan Corbin finished with 14 points and six rebounds in the title game for the Seahawks.

The tournament concluded with an awards ceremony where Hassan Corbin was named to the 2022 Region 20 Division II Men's Basketball All-Tournament team and Darell Johnson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Cecil College men's basketball team earned an automatic bid into the NJCAA DII National Tournament and now embrace the challenge of the national tournament. The Seahawks finished in 3rd place in their last national tournament appearance (2019). After seeding is completed on Tuesday, March 8, the Seahawks will play their first game of the tournament on Monday, March 14th or Tuesday, March 15 at Danville Community College in Illinois.