LEXINGTON, KY. – Down 14 points early in the second quarter and 11 early in the third, the Paul Dunbar High School boys basketball team showed the composure expected of the state’s top-ranked team.
With star junior Taveion Hollingsworth leading the way, the Bulldogs blitzed their way to 15 straight points to take the lead and then hit clutch free throws in the final minutes to beat Bowling Green 57-51 in a quarterfinal of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet 16 in front of 10,950 fans at Rupp Arena.
“That’s why we played the schedule we played, so we’d be in tough games like that time after time after time,” Paul Dunbar coach Scott Chalk said. “We were all year, so I … wasn’t as worried as much about the number as much I was about getting back to our style and playing the way we want to play.”
Hollingsworth posted 16 points, five rebounds and three steals as the Bulldogs (31-6) – No. 1 in the state in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings – advanced to face Newport Central Catholic in Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal. Darius Williams pitched in 13 points and seven rebounds.
Kyran Jones had 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to lead No. 8 Bowling Green (31-3), which had its 25-game winning streak snapped. Deangelo Wilson added 13 points and four assists.
“They got one on us tonight, but we’d like to play that game again,” Purples coach D.G. Sherrill said. “We thought we matched up well with them. … We had to play with who I think will be the eventual state champion.”
The Purples dominated the first half, leading 29-15 on Terry Taylor’s layup at the 5:39 mark, and still led 40-29 on Thomas Booker’s basket with 5:50 left in the third quarter.
But the Bulldogs turned up the pressure and got rolling. Hollingsworth had a 3-point play, Jordan Lewis nailed a 3-pointer and Williams hit a jumper to cap a 15-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 44-40 lead at the 2:24 mark.
“There’s no way they were going to stop us when we were on that hot streak,” senior guard Justin Kelley said.
Jones’ basket gave Bowling Green a 47-46 lead with 5:14 left in the game, but Dontell Brown hit a pair of free throws to give the Bulldogs a 48-47 edge with 4:02 left and spark an 11-4 game-closing run.
Sherrill said the Bulldogs were tougher down the stretch.
“I think we got a little tired in the second half around that basket,” he said. “It was pretty physical, and they won some 50-50 balls.”
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
BOWLING GREEN 23 13 5 10 -51
PAUL DUNBAR 9 17 18 13 – 57
Bowling Green (31-3) – Jones 14, Taylor 8, Wilson 13, Booker 10, Ayers 4, Key 2.
Paul Dunbar (31-6) – Kelley 11, Williams 13, Brown 6, Lewis 10, Hollingsworth 16, Clark 1.
3-point goals – Taylor, Wilson 3; Kelley 2, Williams, Lewis.