MIDDLESEX MOVES TO 13-3 WITH TWO WINS AT MONTGOMERY CC TOURNAMENT

Middlesex College Men's Basketball enjoyed a successful trip to Montgomery CC in Maryland, winning both of their games in the 2024 MC Holiday Tournament.

In the first game, the Colts topped Pitt Community College (6-5) 65-63 and in game two, Middlesex beat Cuyahoga CC (7-5) 78-64.

With the wins, Middlesex closes the 2024 calendar year with a record of 13-3.

Against Pitt CC, Middlesex led the low-scoring affair 28-24 at the half, but some missed shots late in regulation had things looking bleak for the Colts in the final seconds of the game.

Michael Byfield, (Sophomore/Englewood, NJ) hit a three pointer with 4:52 left to put Middlesex up 50-49, but the Colts went cold from there. Luckily, their defense remained strong and allowed just one basket in the final five minutes.

Clarence Burton made a jump shot for Pitt CC with 3:34 left to give the Bulldogs a 51-50 lead, but the Colts had another dramatic finish in them.

After a missed three by Middlesex with 36 seconds left, Pitt grabbed the rebound and had control of the ball. Pitt missed three shots in the final 22 seconds and finally on the third shot, Tristin Harcourt was able to corral the rebound for Middlesex and called a quick timeout.

The Colts had time for one play and Harcourt came up big again, nailing a three-pointer with four seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Although the game remained close throughout the overtime period, Middlesex never trailed.

Alfeny Javier Concepcion (Sophomore/Perth Amboy, NJ) made a jump shot 15 seconds into the extra period to put Middlesex up 55-53 and was solid in overtime, scoring four points with two rebounds and a block.

Pitt made the game close with a three-pointer with 1:06 left to bring the score to 61-60, but a Sean Williams (Sophomore/Old Bridge, NJ) jumper and two Byfield free throws gave Middlesex a lead too big to overcome.

Michael Byfield (Sophomore/Englewood, NJ) scored a season-high 18 points to lead all scorers. Harcourt had another double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds as well.

Middlesex didn't need the dramatics in game two as the Colts opened up a 20-11 lead over Cuyahoga CC in the game's first 12 minutes. The Triceratops were able to cut the Colts lead to just two with 1:30 remaining in the half, but two Nadir Hashim (Freshman/Linden, NJ) layups and a Noah Taylor (Sophomore/Colonia, NJ) three-pointer gave Middlesex a 37-31 lead at the break.

The Colts outscored Cuyahoga CC 41-33 in the second half on the way to a 14-point win.

Sean Williams had a game-high 18 points while Harcourt added another double-double to his resume, logging 14 points at 10 rebounds.

Middlesex will take some time off for winter break and will return to action on January 4 when they host Nassau CC at home. Tipoff is set for 3:00PM.