“That gave us a lot of motivation, them coming to our bracket,” senior guard Deonte Smith said.
The Polar Bears used a 17-0 run in the second half to pull away from Dunbar to a 70-58 in a Div. IV district semifinal on Tuesday. They advance to face Cincinnati Taft in a district final on Sunday at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.
It’s the 20th consecutive victory for Northridge (23-1), which is aiming for its second straight district championship and regional berth.
“I think we’re proving we’re a good team,” Smith said. “Everybody doubted us, thought we were going to lose. …It’s hard work. Everybody is trying to come, play their best at us.”
Northridge dominated early, but Dunbar slowly chipped away at the lead. The Wolverines (18-5) cut it to one point on a driving layup by Jay’Mal Whitfield with 18 seconds left in the third.
But Northridge scored the next 17 points to take a 61-43 with five minutes left in the fourth.
Smith and his younger brother Keonte, who is one of the state’s most highly-rated sophomores, took over during the run. Deonte Smith scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, and Keonte, a 6-foot-5 forward, scored 10 of his 18 in the fourth quarter, including a bank-shot 3 near the end of the 17-0 run.
Northridge coach Jeff Lisath credited the brothers for leading the charge, including on defense.
“It shows our team toughness,” Lisath said. “The character of this team, I just want to say they work extremely hard and pay attention to details. They did tonight, and there were certain defensive tactics we experimented with, and it worked.”
Much of the game had been at a methodical pace, but as things quickened late in the third, Dunbar struggled to keep up. The Wolverines had a few turnovers during Northridge’s run, and they didn’t get an offensive rebound during the stretch.
Northridge grabbed the turnovers and rebounds and consistently converted on fast breaks.
“Part of the game plan was to make sure that we get on the boards and control the inside,” Lisath said. “We felt like we had an advantage with Keonte Smith and Eddie Conners. Again, the kids worked the game plan to a T, and they gutted it out when they needed to.”
The squad celebrated with fans on the court after the game. There were plenty. Sidney athletic director JD Foust said it was the only event this winter that sold out the about 1,800-seat gym.
“We were fired up, ready to go, wanting this game,” Lisath said. “It was just clash of the titans to me.”
Northridge led 19-7 after a tightly-called first quarter in which it made 10-of-15 foul shot attempts. The Wolverines scored the last six points of the second to pull within 29-25 at halftime, but the Polar Bears quickly pushed the gap to six in the third, and it stayed around there until Dunbar closed it to one with a spurt in the final minute of the third.
Lisath said the squad is battle tested after a stout slate of nonconference teams, including five D-I foes.
“It’s good for games like this, so the kids know, ‘Oh, we’ve been here before.’ You play a good team in a pressure-packed game, it always helps,” Lisath said.
D’marriante Crane and Trevon Rowe each added 10 points for Northridge. Lisath credited their contributions, and for the rest of the squad for contributing in other ways.
“Everybody played their role and did what they’re supposed to,” Lisath said. “The thing about this team is everybody understands their roles, doesn’t get caught up in stats because they really want to win. The supporting cast played absolutely perfect.”
Jay’Mal Whitfield led Dunbar with 20 points.
Dunbar, which won the Dayton City League for the sixth consecutive season, will lose three seniors to graduation, including Chrisod Averette and Corwyn Fields II, who rank second and third on the team in scoring. Whitfield, a sophomore guard, is the team’s leading scorer.
Taft (16-5) beat Shroder 89-50 in a district semi on Tuesday at Monroe. Sunday’s district final is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.
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