Dunbar rallies past Henry Clay and into 11th Region finals

11th Region tournament bracket

Saturday’s second semifinal matchup in the 11th Region Tournament provided everything you’d expect from a rubber match between two top-three teams who were among the favorites to capture a state title — except, perhaps, a buzzer beater for the win.

Paul Dunbar senior guard Darius Williams went off for 31 points to erase a double-digit Henry Clay lead and send the No. 2 Bulldogs to their first region championship game since 1997 with a 70-62 win over the No. 3 Blue Devils.

After a hot-shooting first half that sent them to the locker room with a 34-25 lead, the script flipped on Henry Clay. The Blue Devils knocked down 16-of-33 shots in the first two quarters while holding Dunbar to 8-of-28 from the field. But the Bulldogs nailed 15 of their 28 second-half shots, led by Williams who had 13 of his points in the third quarter.

Dunbar head coach Scott Chalk wasn’t surprised that Williams put the team on his back in the second half.

“I’ve known him for four years now, and he can do that,” he said. “I know that look, and when he gets it I’m like, ‘Get the ball back to him again,’ because I know what he can do. He felt it and when he does, he can put the points up in a hurry.”

Taveion Hollingsworth added 19 points for Dunbar, including a strong rebound and put-back with 2:16 left in the third quarter to give the Bulldogs a 43-41 lead and cap a furious 18-6 run.

“Taveion did what he does,” said Chalk. “There’s a reason coaches voted him best player in the region for the season, because he can absolutely make plays, there’s no doubt about it.”

Henry Clay clawed back to within one after a three-pointer by Leander Ridgeway with 5:07 left in the game at 54-53, but Dunbar closed out the game hitting eight straight free throws in the last minute and a half to seal the win.

In addition to his game-high 31 points, Williams finished with seven rebounds. Hollingsworth added seven rebounds for the Bulldogs as well while Jordan Lewis scored 10 points, including a 4-4 mark from the stripe during the closing minute.

“After halftime we just all came together,” said Hollingsworth. “We get in the huddle and yell ‘family,’ so we have to come out and play like that. We know the game isn’t over at halftime, we can always come back.”

Henry Clay was led by Mr. Basketball candidate Isaiah “Pun” Tisdale. The senior star scored a team-high 16 points, but missed all five of his three-point attempts. He also hauled in 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists against one turnover.

The Blue Devils will have a new look next year after losing nine seniors to graduation, including leading scorers Tisdale and Ridgeway. But starting guard Justin Mitchell will return as a junior and help mentor Henry Clay’s youngsters.

Dunbar will be looking for more of the same in Monday’s 7:30 title game against Scott County. The Bulldogs handed the No. 11 Cardinals an 81-51 loss last month in Georgetown.

“When you play a team the second time, you have to expect them to play a lot better if you got ‘em pretty good the first time,” Chalk said of the rematch with Scott County. “It’ll be a tough game. They’re really athletic and they’re gonna be a tough out.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Dunbar rallies past Henry Clay and into 11th Region finals."