Dantzler Jr. picks up pace, lifts Edmondson
One of Darnell “DJ” Dantzler Jr.’s best attributes playing for Edmondson boys basketball is his lightning speed.
The All-Metro junior point guard has shown he can take over a game just as fast, with Dunbar the latest team to find out Thursday. The visiting Poets were matching the No. 2 Red Storm point for point midway through the fourth quarter before Dantzler found another gear.
Two 3-pointers came 35 seconds apart. A steal led to another point at the free throw line and then a crafty assist to a teammate. Edmondson’s nine unanswered points came in a little more than a minute, paving the way for a 58-49 win over Dunbar in Baltimore City League play.
Dantzler finished with 15 points, while 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Chase Foster scored 13 points, dominated the boards and blocked shots. The Red Storm improved to 8-1 on the season, while Dunbar fell to 6-2.
“We came out slow so I felt I owed it to my team and owed it to myself to come out and make big shots at the end,” Dantzler said. “We lost to Dunbar last year, so we didn’t want to go back to that moment and we came together and fought through the adversity.”
The Poets, playing strong zone defense and controlling the tempo for chunks of the game, didn’t make it easy for the defending Class 1A state champions.
A 3-pointer by Todd Taylor at the first-half buzzer gave the visitors a 24-20 lead. Then the Red Storm appeared primed to pull away late in the third quarter when Xavier Davis (11 points) scored five straight points and Foster added two free throws to build the game’s biggest lead to that point at 35-28 with 2:35 to play in the frame.
The Poets weren’t deterred. They closed the quarter on an 8-0 run, with Tyler Taylor hitting a three and Khalil Montgomery converting a three-point play with two seconds left to give Dunbar a 36-35 advantage entering the fourth.
Early in the quarter, Foster helped the Red Storm keep pace with a tough fadeaway jumper followed by a thundering dunk off a pass from Dantzler. With the game tied at 42 midway through the quarter, Dantzler took hold and didn’t let go.
“Dunbar played well and it’s always a rivalry game, so they always play us real hard,” Edmondson coach Darnell Dantzler Sr. said. “DJ hit some big shots down the stretch and Chase played real big and that’s what it’s all about. Basketball is about a bunch of spurts and then who’s going to make plays and who’s going to want it at the end.”
Tyler Taylor led the Poets with 12 points, while Montgomery scored 11 and Todd Taylor added nine.
OTHER BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES: Harford Tech 77, North Harford 37 Girls basketball
Patterson Mill 59, Aberdeen 44 Fallston 52, Harford Tech 19 North Harford 40, C. Milton Wright 37
Edgewood 60, Rising Sun 53 Francis Scott Key 55, Century 25 Poly 56, Lake Clifton 13
Park 53, Chapelgate Christian 26
Wrestling Atholton 57, Centennial 21:
Atholton’s gym had it all for Thursday night’s dual against Centennial. The Raiders’ supporters and cheerleaders came out in full force as the spotlight hung above the mat.
The Raiders honored the program’s four seniors on senior night and made the evening a positive one. Atholton jumped out to an early 30-point lead with four forfeits and a pin by Chase Garrison (120 pounds) as the short-handed Eagles battled sickness and injury.
It was a special night for the seniors, but the highlight of the night came from sophomore Noah Eng (175). Eng found himself in a 9-0 hole to Centennial senior Matt Sedor near the end of the second period. Yet, the sophomore continued to fight. He picked up four points late in the second period before pinning Sedor 1:17 into the third period, electrifying the home crowd and his teammates.
With three bouts remaining after Eng’s pin, his win provided a jolt for the remaining Raiders. David Adeyemi (215) and Mark Enamorado (285) won their matches by pin — Adeyemi in the first period and Enamorado in the third. For Enamorado, a senior, wrestling in the final match of the night was both exciting and nerve-wracking.
Eastern Tech 45, Kenwood 36 Franklin 40, Eastern Tech 33