The last time Douglass High played at Dunbar it put on an awesome display, rolling up points at a frenzied pace to cruise to the city championship last season. It was the latter of two dominating performances at the east Baltimore school that were a couple of highlights of the Ducks' 28-0 state 3A title campaign.
No. 4 Douglass' return last night wasn't overwhelming, but it was exciting nonetheless. Trailing by as many as 17 points in the second half, Douglass rallied past Spingarn, 67-66, in the showcase matchup in the sixth annual Baltimore/D.C. Challenge.
Along with No. 9 Dunbar's 74-56 victory over Coolidge in the finale, Baltimore won this year's four-game series in a tiebreaker to take an overall 4-2 lead since the series began. The tiebreaker was giving up the fewest points in a game (Dunbar 56 vs. Coolidge).
Second-ranked Lake Clifton dropped a 67-57 decision to H.D. Woodson, while Dunbar (D.C.) got past No. 6 Mervo, 84-79.
Junior guard Jermaine Bolden hit a free throw with seven seconds remaining in regulation, giving Douglass its area-best 29th consecutive victory and finishing a wild final minute that saw the Ducks overcome a five-point deficit.
Spingarn guard Rarshad McNealy was called for a technical foul with 15 seconds left and Bolden made two free throws to pull Douglass even. On the ensuing possession, McNealy grabbed Bolden in the backcourt and was called for a foul. Bolden hit the first free throw then missed, but Spingarn wasn't able to get a shot off before time expired.
"I was just thinking about winning the game and getting it over with," Bolden said. Bolden, a 5-foot-7 junior guard, finished with a game-high 34 points.
Anthony Baglin and Charles Brooks each contributed 11 for Douglass (1-0), which last lost to Southern of Baltimore in the 4A North region quarterfinals in the 2000-01 season. Babakar Thomas led Spingarn (2-2) with 23 points, and Jerome Petticolas had 16.
Bolden, a transfer from Northern, is one of several new faces for Douglass, which lost all five starters from last season's No. 1 team, including All-Met Player of the Year Tyler Smith, who was in attendance last night. Ducks coach Rodney Cofield didn't know what to expect in their season debut.
"We have to establish ourselves," Cofield said. "The kids played hard. We're establishing our own identity. I liked the character they showed."
Douglass displayed some resilience after nearly being blown out by the three-time defending DCIAA champ Green Wave. While Spingarn's quickness and athleticism led to quick and easy baskets, Douglass struggled matching scores, trailing 36-21 at the half.
While Douglass was able to overcome a huge second half deficit, Mervo wasn't able to climb out of its hole against Dunbar (D.C.) in the opening game.
Junior guard Chester Frazier led all scorers with 25 for the Mustangs (0-1), with Paul Frazier contributing 18.
Tre Kelley, headed to South Carolina, had 12 points in the third quarter to help the Crimson Tide build a 17-point advantage. The Mustangs closed to within five with 47 seconds remaining in regulation before Dunbar (D.C.) hit four of six free throws.
"We played well, but we got beat on the offensive boards," Chester Frazier said. "We didn't play defense, but we were able to come back."
The Crimson Tide controlled Mervo on the glass, winning by a 39-25 margin with a 25-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. Randy Hampton had a game-high 12 with Kelley adding five rebounds and three steals. Sophomore center Antwon Lawrence had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
After building a 37-27 halftime lead, Lake Clifton slumped in the final 16 minutes against H.D. Woodson (1-0). Junior guard Parris Carter led the Lakers (0-1) with 23 points. Rob Boone scored 15, and Mike McDonald had 13 points for H.D. Woodson.
H.D. Woodson broke a 48-48 deadlock early in the fourth quarter with a 12-2 push to gain its largest lead. The Lakers, who will host No. 9 Dunbar on Tuesday, went nearly four minutes without a basket in the third.
Maurice Barksdale and Herman Hayes each scored 15 to lead Dunbar (1-0) to victory in the finale.