The Dunbar boys basketball team has overcome many obstacles this season. Just three weeks ago, the program dismissed coach Keith Booth. Before starting the playoffs, the team had an 8-10 record.
On Thursday night, after seven lead changes in the final eight minutes, the Poets were crowned 2A North Region II champions with a 61-60 victory over Patterson.
“For me, it’s always been about them,” said athletic director Dana Johnson, who took over as interim coach after Dunbar fired Booth on Feb. 11, citing a confidential personnel matter. “To see that they come day-in and day-out and want work hard, want to grind and want to work hard for each other — it’s not about me. I’m just here to keep them together and to keep them motivated and to keep them focused, but they have been a team since all of the drama began.
“This is all about them. I’m just overwhelmed that they have truly stuck together and never fell down. They just stand together as a team and they are truly being brothers right now.”
Rynell Bert scored 20 points and hit a late 3-pointer to give the Poets the lead. He scored a combined 14 points in the third and fourth quarters to give the Poets the shot in the arm that they needed, especially when they trailed with less than one minute remaining.
“It was all or nothing. We prepared all season for this game,” Bert said. “There has been a lot of stuff — through coaching changes — staff changes throughout the year, we prepared all year for this. So, I just knew that I was going to go out with a fighting chance.”
Davion Charles constantly hustled during the game for Dunbar, making many of his shots on second-chance opportunities. The junior finished with 14 points and gave a consistent effort throughout the game, stemming from a strong seven-point second quarter.
“Rebounding. We got down, so I just knew that I had to do something on the boards, and rebounds will lead to second-chance points,” Charles said. “So, I wanted to get a lot of them and I hustled for them.”
Patterson led in the first quarter 15-6 with five points from John Thomas. Dunbar woke up in the second quarter with Charles contributing a quarter-high seven points and Bert scoring five to cut the Clippers’ lead to just 29-25 at the half.
The third quarter was even tighter than the second, with the score tied at 44 by the end. Bert ended the quarter with a deep 3-pointer, en route to six points. Patterson’s Alex Ferrer scored six of his own as well. The final eight minutes were a battle, with seven lead changes. Ferrer scored another eight points in the quarter, but Bert’s 3-pointer to put Dunbar up 61-60 was enough to seal the deal.
“It was kind of a back-and-forth game,” Patterson coach Harry Martin said. “The first time that we played them it was a similar game. They jumped out to a big lead and then we closed the gap and then it was back-and-forth. So, they made enough shots down the stretch — the kid Bert — and we did enough dumb stuff. We could never be consistent with our possessions.
“I think we built it up to like 47-42 and we just get dumb possessions over and over again. Then, we fall back and then we had a chance with some free throws — we only made one out of four. So, all of those little things add up to a loss, but we commend Dunbar and coach Johnson for winning a championship tonight and wish them the best going forward.”
Dunbar will await their reseeding in the 2A state tournament, where they will play their next game against an opponent to be determined.
Dunbar (11-10): R. Bert 20, D. Charles, 14, K. Pullen 10, J. Stevenson 7, K. Newsome 6, J. Gibson 2, T. Sykes 2
Patterson (14-12): A. Ferrer 26, J. Thomas 10, J. Jones 10, D. Williams 6, J. Sabastro 5, K. Moore 2, J. Johnson 2
Halftime: 29-25, Patterson