After scoring just one point in the first half yesterday, Dunbar's Herman Hayes felt he owed his team a favor. "I hadn't had a good game, so I really wanted to step up," he said.
Hayes did just that, scoring 19 of his 20 points in the second half, including a game-winning three-point play with 17 seconds left in the No. 2 Poets' 57-56 victory over visiting 14th-ranked Walbrook.
After Walbrook's Nicholas Woodard (nine points, six rebounds) blocked two shots with the game tied at 54, teammate Jimmy Conyers (eight points) scored on a layup with 41 seconds left.
But Hayes was fouled while converting a turnaround jumper off Kendrick Maybank's inbounds pass, and he sank the game-winning free throw with 17 seconds left.
"The play was supposed to go to Maurice [Barksdale,] but I had a good [look]," said Hayes, who also made four three-pointers. "I told myself, 'There's no way I'm going to miss.' "
Walbrook (11-7) botched two scoring chances in the final seconds and suffered a non-divisional Baltimore City League loss. Walborok has led at halftime of all but one of its games and has suffered all seven losses in the final two minutes.
Still, the Warriors' Edward Tyson (12 points, eight rebounds, four steals) had visions of his first win over a bona fide opponent before the end of yesterday's game.
"When Nicholas blocked those two shots, and we went down and scored, I thought, 'Maybe we've got this game,' " Tyson said. "We just lost control. We've got to learn to take our time in clutch situations."
Walbrook missed 20 of 39 shots in the first half, including 12 of 16 in the first quarter. Dunbar's Barksdale scored nine of his 22 points in the opening period, and 6-foot-11 teammate Michael Thompson had six points, four blocks and four rebounds.
"We played well and were relaxed in the beginning," said Dunbar coach Eric Lee. "But we got a little out of our rhythm in the middle of the game."
Down 15-10 entering the second quarter, Walbrook pulled within 18-17 after a layup by Armond Gardner (10 points). Walbrook overtook the Poets during an 11-0 run that included Tyson's layup for a 23-22 halftime lead and his three-pointer for a 28-22 advantage early in the third quarter.
Walbrook led by 39-30 after Dustin Lawson (11 points, seven rebounds) nailed a 10-footer. But it was outscored 18-6 and trailed 48-45 after Hayes' jumper with 4:25 to play.
"I admired them for the way they came back on us. They're a young team that played hard tonight," Barksdale said. "But we came in angry after losing to Mervo, and we don't like to lose on our home floor."