Dunbar boys post perfect regular season

Wolverines clinch City League title and enter postseason at 20-0.

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By Marc F. Pendleton, Staff Writer Updated 8:08 AM Wednesday, February 15, 2012

DAYTON — Dunbar was loaded up with great expectations long before this boys high school basketball season began, and Tuesday night at Meadowdale, the Wolverines made their place in program history.

Dunbar’s hard-fought 72-66 defeat of host Meadowdale didn’t just clinch the City League championship. It was the final notch in a perfect 20-0 regular season.

That’s a first for Wolverines coach Pete Pullen. Longtime assistant and Dunbar grad Renaldo O’Neal thought it might be the first unbeaten regular-season team in program history.

That is rarefied air among a program that’s teeming in basketball prominence.

“It’s a whole lot of hard work,” beamed senior Deontae “Teddy” Hawkins. “That’s what it is.”

Fittingly, the contest pitted two of the area’s best Division II programs in the season finale. They put on a somewhat ragged but exciting performance before a packed house.

Down by as much as 10 several times, Tyree Wilson’s baseline swish pulled the Lions within 68-66 with 15.1 seconds left.

But Dunbar freshman point guard A.J. Harris swished a pair of free throws, and Gary Akbar beat the buzzer with a game-ending dunk.

The odds are long on Meadowdale, but this might not be the last time the City League rivals play this season.

“What you could have just witnessed was a regional final game for the right to go to state,” Meadowdale coach Felix Turner said. “I would love to play them again.”

Once Dunbar decided to assert its height advantage, Meadowdale resorted to fouling. The result was a game-deciding 22-of-32 free throws for the Wolverines.

Hawkins led Dunbar (20-0) with 17 points, Akbar added 14 and Andre Yates 13. Sean Cassidy’s 15 points paced a balanced Meadowdale attack.

Meadowdale (16-4), a No. 3 seed in the upcoming D-II sectional, has a daunting task to earn a rematch. The Lions open with No. 5 seed Chaminade Julienne. The winner gets No. 2 seed and unbeaten Franklin.

“Meadowdale played with confidence and they’ve always played us tough,” Pullen said.

Contact this writer at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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