Dunbar Edges Roosevelt in OT

There are a lot of uncharacteristic aspects of Dunbar's up-tempo offense, but the thing that stands out the most is the absence of any apparent half-court strategy. It doesn't seem to bother the Crimson Tide, though, which beat visiting Theodore Roosevelt, 76-75, in overtime last night to solidify its place as a legitimate contender for the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association title.

The Crimson Tide is a fun team to watch, if only because it bucks much conventional wisdom. Its tallest player, 6-foot-3 senior Dartanion Lesane, frequently brings the ball upcourt, but that matters little because the Crimson Tide rarely holds the ball more than 10 seconds before firing a shot. Dunbar misses a lot, but by tossing up so many shots, the thinking is, it will get enough to fall.

"It gives you more of a chance to be free," said junior Vance Roberts, who led Dunbar with 25 points.

And when Lesane doesn't bring the ball up, it's usually because Dunbar is firing a long outlet pass, trying to catch opponents sleeping in transition.

"It's fun, man," said Lesane, one of nine football players on the basketball team. "We don't worry about the last play. We worry about the next play."

The next play often happens pretty quickly.

"Everybody's basically a guard," Dunbar Coach Johnnie Walker said. "We try to push the tempo and let our offense be our defense."

The game was close throughout, with Dunbar holding a 27-25 halftime lead. The Crimson Tide (13-7, 6-2 DCIAA West) threatened to pull away several times in the second half, but couldn't get ahead by more than seven, thanks largely to Roosevelt's Demarkus Link, who had a game-high 31 points, including four three-pointers.

With his team trailing by three, Roosevelt's Michael Harris threw up a desperation three-pointer with eight seconds left in regulation. It missed by plenty, but he drew a foul and sank all three free throws to force overtime.

In the extra session, Dunbar seized control on fast-break layups by James Austin and Roberts to keep the Rough Riders (16-9, 4-5) at arm's length. After a three-pointer by Link with 36 seconds left cut the Dunbar lead to one, Roosevelt regained possession. A jump ball gave the Rough Riders the ball under the Dunbar basket with 1.1 seconds remaining, but Lesane batted away the inbounds pass to clinch the victory.

Dunbar 76, T. Roosevelt 75 Miss You: Roosevelt has lost three of four since losing its top scorer, Darin Drakeford, who enrolled on Jan. 24 at Maryland, where he is on a football scholarship. Reign Ending? Defending DCIAA champion Roosevelt needs to beat Cardozo next Wednesday to earn a playoff spot.