The Montgomery College-Rockville women's basketball team was about to tip off against Roxbury (Mass.) Community College on Feb. 3 when the folks at the scorer's table had a musical malfunction.

The recording of the National Anthem failed to play, so the public address announcer sang it himself, eliciting a round of applause for his deft improvisation. It was one of many things that didn't quite go right for Montgomery-Rockville that night in an 86-84 overtime loss — a game that gave the Knights a glimpse of the kind of competition that will be waiting for them during the next few weeks.

Roxbury lost the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national title game last season, while Montgomery-Rockville came one point away from making it to the national tournament. The Knights were stopped in the district final, losing 77-76 to Butler (Pa.) Community College.

In spite of the setback in that late-season acid test against Roxbury, it has been another strong year for Montgomery-Rockville, whose three leading scorers are in their second and final seasons with the program. After finishing at 22-7 last winter, the Knights are 22-4 this season, including a perfect 12-0 in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference. Their postseason begins this week with the Maryland JUCO Tournament, Thursday through Sunday at Frederick Community College.

After that come the regional tournament and high hopes.

“We plan to win both tournaments, just go far and make it to nationals and come back with a ring,” said sophomore forward Porcha Davis, a Richard Montgomery High School graduate who is the team's second-leading scorer (14.5 points per game).

The Knights' top offensive weapon for the second year in a row is Alex Silva, a compact 5-foot-3 point guard from South Hagerstown who is deceptively quick as she slashes to the basket. She also is dangerous from the perimeter — she leads the Maryland JUCO Conference with 54 3-pointers — and is the league's top scorer, averaging 20.8 points per game.

James H. Blake High graduate Faye Dunston averages 9.5 points per game. Bethesda-Chevy Chase grad Jameelah Thalley (5.4 ppg), Takoma Academy's Kapria Redparth (4.7 ppg) and Watkins Mill's Jartu Toweh (4.9 ppg) also have played key roles for the Knights this season.

With tournament time approaching, Dunston is philosophical about last year's postseason disappointment.

“I believe that everything happens for a reason,” she said. “We lost that game [against Butler CC] as a learning experience to do something better this year with the team we have. We're more powerful this year than last. Everyone came back this year with confidence, and we have a solid foundation with the first seven players on the floor. Everybody is confident. Last year that wasn't the case.

“I'm excited to see what's going to happen. At this point record doesn't matter, it's playoff season and everyone is zero and zero until the end.”

Davis said the team has made it a point not to dwell on last season's region final loss.

“We try to make it about this year,” she said. “It's a different year, but we do feel like there's unfinished business.”

The Feb. 3 loss to Roxbury, which gave the Knights a taste of national-level competition, came at a crucial juncture of the season, but the way the game unfolded may provide a boost.

Montgomery-Rockville committed numerous turnovers as Roxbury forced the tempo, pushing the Knights away from the more deliberate, disciplined style of offense that has led to their success this season. Montgomery-Rockville trailed by 12 at halftime and by eight with less than four minutes left in the second half.

But in those final minutes the Knights displayed their tenacity. A pair of 3-pointers by Dunston, another by Silva and two baskets from Davis helped the Knights get back in the game. Two foul shots by Silva tied the score at 70-70 with 9.9 seconds to go. Though the Knights lost in overtime, coach Tarlouh Gasque considered the game a valuable learning experience.

“What [the Roxbury game] did was show them what they can do,” Gasque said. “The whole time we were trailing, I told them, ‘Look, it's just a few baskets.' They listened and did what they needed to do. I would much rather win, but it was a good experience for us against a very good team. With this team it's been a growing experience from the beginning, and they need to learn what they're capable of, and I think this proved it.”

selkin@gazette.net