Paul Dunbar boys’ three-point blitz boots LCA in 43rd District semifinals; Lafayette girls rout LCA girls

Paul Laurence Dunbar, the state’s second-ranked team, got a bye into the 43^rd District semifinals Wednesday night against Lexington Christian. For a while it seemed the Bulldogs spent the time off working on their three-point shooting.

Every made bucket in the first quarter for Dunbar was a three-pointer, staking it to a 21-12 lead to open the game and establishing a cushion the Bulldogs kept fairly comfortably in their 71-56 victory at Lafayette.

“If we’re wide open, we might as well shoot them.” Dunbar Coach Scott Chalk said. “It wasn’t necessarily the game plan but, I mean, if they’re open and they get hot and start hitting them – let ’em go.”

Senior guard Darius Williams tossed in three of those triples.

“They weren’t respecting the three ... and we were just firing,” Williams said of the stretch. “Once one goes in, it feels good.”

Lexington Christian’s standout freshman Kyle Rode helped keep the No. 23 Eagles in it. He had 15 of LCA’s 24 points in the first half, including three three-pointers, His putback basket with 2:10 left in the half got LCA within 32-26, but that was as close as the Eagles would get the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs used their full-court press occasionally, but with devastating effects when turned up. As the second half opened, Dunbar put together an 11-4 run with three straight steals creating layups and a putback chance. The run culminated with a Taveion Hollingsworth three-pointer to give Dunbar its biggest lead, 47-30, with 4:26 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs forced 17 LCA turnovers.

“I was really pleased with the energy and focus we had,” Chalk said. “We finally got (LCA) sped up a little bit (in the third quarter) and a little bit out of sorts, and that’s what we can do. We’re just waiting for one of those runs that we have. We have one or two every game, hopefully.”

The third period ended with a scary collision under the basket after Dunbar’s Williams grabbed another steal on the press and tried to go up for a dunk. His plant foot slipped and LCA’s Trevor Hill couldn’t adjust for the new trajectory. Hill body-blocked Williams to the floor. The officials whistled an intentional foul. Williams spent a few moments on his back and came up with a bloody nose, but later returned to the game. Dunbar only got one Jared Gadd free throw out of the foul and bonus possession, however, making it 50-37 to end the fourth.

LCA got a couple of free throws from Rode and a three-point play by Tre King to cut the lead to 50-42 at the start of the fourth. But Dunbar’s Justin Kelly answered in the paint with an assist from Hollingsworth to get his own three-point play and stifle the Eagles’ momentum. Kelly’s free throw pushed the lead back to 10 at 52-42 and it would get no closer.

Hollingsworth led four Bulldogs in double figures with 24 points. Rode finished with a team-high 24 for LCA.

Girls: Lafayette 53, Lexington Christian 20

Lexington Christian had struggled with Lafayette in two blowout losses in the regular season. And the Eagles couldn’t solve the Generals or standout junior Kiara Pankins in a 53-20 loss Wednesday night in the 43^rd District semifinals at Lafayette.

Pankins, a 6-foot forward who finished with a game-high 16 points, did most of her scoring damage at the free-throw line in the first half as the Generals broke to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter. Pankins had five of those points, all at the line. She had five more free throws in the second quarter as Lafayette asserted control with a 25-11 lead at break.

In the second half, the Generals’ half-court trap, a constant bother all game, began to take a toll on the Eagles. LCA committed five turnovers and didn’t make its first shot in the third until a Grace Combs three-pointer seven and a half minutes in.

“As far as we want to go in the tournament, it’s going to depend on our defense,” Lafayette Coach Allison Denton said. “Defense is what we’re focused on right now. I know I’ve got girls that can score, but we have to do a good job of keeping others from scoring.”

When the Eagles could keep the ball, Pankins swatted their attempts away. Four of Pankins’ 11 blocks came in the third. She also had a steal and a fast-break layup during the Generals’ 15-3 run.

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 11:10 PM with the headline "Paul Dunbar boys’ three-point blitz boots LCA in 43rd District semifinals; Lafayette girls rout LCA girls."