Campus News
February 3rd, 2026
Lakers stun Penn Highlands with late run
Kos scores 14 of Garrett College's final 20 points in 82-81 triumph
If this had been on ESPN, it would have been dubbed an "Instant Classic."
Garrett College erased a 12-point deficit in the final 5:26, taking the lead on Petar Kos' three-point play with 53.3 seconds remaining and holding on for an 82-81 men's basketball victory Monday night over visiting Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
"This season has seen a lot of adversity, but it made us come together," said Kos, who scored 14 of GC's final 20 points. "We've become a tough team to beat, especially lately."
The Lakers (10-9) have won two straight and four of their last five, with the only loss in the span a double-overtime setback at Hagerstown. Their latest victory was one of their most impressive, knocking off the reigning NJCAA Division III Region 20 champions despite facing double-digit deficits in both halves.
"I was proud of their effort and resiliency," said GC head coach Matt McCullough. "Things didn't look good for long stretches of the game.
"Give them a lot of credit," McCullough said of the Black Bears (13-11). "Coach [Chris] Weakley does a great job. They had a good package in against the zone we were playing. That's a good basketball team."
Penn Highlands jumped out to be a 13-2 lead before the Lakers even got going. Garrett twice pulled within a point, the second time on a 3-pointer by Lenny Smith (16 points) that closed the gap to 59-58 with 8:25 remaining.
The Black Bears responded within a 15-4 run to build their biggest lead of the game at 74-62. Byron Lavender, Jr. (18 points) has seven points during the streak, including a gut-punching 3-pointer to cap the surge and give the visitors a 74-62 lead with just 5:37 remaining.
Then things got really crazy.
Kos, fouled while draining a 3-point jumper, hit the free throw to complete a rare, four-point play that started a 10-0 Garrett run. Dechaun Reed then buried a 3-pointer, Keyonta Johnson hit the front end of a one-and-one, and Reed sank a floater with 3:33 remaining to pull the Lakers within 74-72.
"We got some stops, took better care of the ball, and hit some big shots down the stretch," said Reed, who scored seven critical, second-half points off the bench.
Penn Highlands rebuilt its lead to 79-74 with a 5-2 run that included a Ke'shawn White 3-pointer and a jumper from Desmond Handon, Jr. (16 points, 14 assists, five rebounds, three steals). That set the stage for GC's final surge, an 8-0 run that gave the Lakers their first lead since 2-0.
Kos, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, nailed a 3-pointer with 2:16 to play, pulling GC within 79-77. The Lakers then engineered a breakout off Lenny Smith's defensive rebound. Smith hit Kos with a perfect strike to set up his slam dunk as part of the three-point play that gave GC an 80-79 lead with 53.3 seconds remaining.
"The play just opened up and I took it in for the dunk," said Kos, who credited the hoop to Smith's outlet pass.
Kos added a pair of free throws with 6.7 seconds left, giving Garrett an 82-79 lead. Lavender got off a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds, but it was partially blocked.
White turned a loose ball off Lavender's miss into an uncontested two-pointer that got the Black Bears within 82-81, but the Lakers successfully inbounded the ball and ran out the clock.
"It's a quality win for us," said McCullough, whose Lakers are 3-0 this season in games decided by two points or less. "Our region's really good – you know you're going to play a lot of close games. You have to find ways to win the close ones."
Penn Highlands tried to take control early, reeling off 13 straight points for a 13-2 lead. Ahmad Boone, who had 10 of his 15 points in the first half, contributed seven of them during the streak.
Garrett fought back, pulling within 25-22 on a layup by Keyonta Johnson (nine points, eight assists) before the Black Bears rebuilt an 11-point lead (40-29) on a Victor Raymond inside hoop. Raymond (15 points, 11 rebounds) posted up effectively throughout the first half, leading all scorers with 12 points at the break.
Smith, who had 11 of his 16 points in the first half, got the Lakers back within 40-34 at the break by scoring the final five points before intermission.
Laker Nehemiah Johnson posted a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Cory Harper added 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. GC's Will Huckabone had five points, including four off a pair of impressive dunks.
GC 74, CCAC 67
McHenry, MD – Reserve Petar Kos scored 22 points with seven rebounds and six assists Thursday to help the Lakers hold off Community College of Allegheny County.
Cory Harper added 19 points, including 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the 3-point line, and Nehemiah Johnson posted a double-double with 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for Garrett. Laker Donovahn Keyes just missed double digits with nine points.
Hagerstown 86, GC 82
Hagerstown, MD – Donovahn Keyes scored a team-high 20 points, Cory Harper added 18 points, and Petar Kos contributed 13 points last Wednesday night as the Lakers dropped a double-overtime decision to Hagerstown.
Keyonta Johnson had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds while adding four assists and four steals for Garrett.
Women's Basketball
CCAC 56, Garrett 49
McHenry, MD – Lannie Henning (eight rebounds, four assists, two steals) scored a game-high 16 points Thursday to lead the Community College of Allegheny County to victory.
Katie Johnson posted a double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds) for CCAC while teammate Aunesty Johnson chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and four blocked shots.
Gianna Michaux (12 points) was the only player to reach double figures for the Lady Lakers, who shot 30 percent from the field.
Hagerstown 59, Garrett 47
Hagerstown, MD – Briana King (eight rebounds, nine assists, four steals) and Andrea Elder (six rebounds, six assists, five blocked shots) each scored 16 points last Wednesday night as the Hawks defeated GC.
Ella Bennett scored 15 points and passed out five assists for Hagerstown.
Garrett's Carly Wilt (seven rebounds, five steals) led GC with 15 points, Gianna Michaux had 11 points, and Hailey Newsome finished with a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds).
