2012 Ohio state basketball championships: Dunbar, Yates win

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Andre Yates transferred to Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio) because he wanted to be a part of a special tradition. Saturday, Yates inked his name in Wolverines lore.

Scoring the game-winning basket on a left-handed running bank shot with 3.2 seconds left, Yates lifted Dunbar to a 54-52 win over Elida in the OHSAA Division II State Final at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center. The basket capped the first undefeated season (28-0) in a school history that now includes five state titles.

"It was just now or never," said Yates, who is headed to Creighton. "I got the ball in my hands and it was just me and the bucket. That's all I could think about. One shot to win it all."

"I was going to call timeout," Dunbar head coach Peter Pullen said. "But I saw the situation and knew (Yates) could get to the rack. He did."

Dunbar, ranked No. 12 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, moved into a third-place tie in Ohio history (with Columbus East) for most state titles, and trails only Middletown (seven) and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (six).

It wasn't easy. At all.

Dunbar won its first 27 games by an average margin of victory of 29.9 points. It won No. 28 by two.

Led by standout senior and Akron recruit Reggie McAdams Elida led 17-10 after the first quarter and 29-22 at the half. The Bulldogs played much of the second quarter with a double-digit lead.

McAdams scored 12 of his game-high 24 points in the first quarter.

Dunbar responded in the second half, closing the third quarter on an 18-0 run to take a 42-35 lead into the fourth. Elida scored six points and committed seven turnovers in the third quarter.

The Wolverines maintained a comfortable seven-point lead until a questionable technical foul call on freshman point guard A.J. Harris changed momentum drastically. With Dunbar ahead 52-45 with 2:01 to play, Harris was assessed a technical following a personal foul. Elida got four free throws (made all) and the ball. That play led to a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs, who tied the game 52-52 with 11.8 seconds left on a McAdams free throw. McAdams missed his second free throw and Dunbar rebounded setting up Yates' mad dash down the court.

"We have a saying that a Wolverine is an animal that will fight to the death and that's what we did," Pullen said. "We don't accept losing. We fight to the death. We could have easily folded at halftime. We could have quit after the controversial tech. We overcame all that."

Said Yates: "We've been overcoming obstacles all year. No matter what we stay together."

Dunbar outscored Elida 32-12 in the paint. Deontae Hawkins (Wichita State) led the Wolverines with 14 points, while 6-foot-6 junior Damarion Geter added 11. Senior forward Gary Akbar (Cleveland State) and Yates each chipped in 10. Yates' game-winner was his lone field goal of the second half.

"It's emotional, very emotional," Pullen said, wiping tears from his eyes. "I've accomplished a whole lot of things, but this is going to top a lot. 28-0. It's special."

"On top of the world," Yates said. "The feeling of going perfect is indescribable. The tradition at Dunbar High School is so crazy and to be the first (undefeated team) there feels like being on Cloud Nine.

"I really don't know how to describe it."

He won't have to. Others will be talking about his shot for years.

More Ohio state finals

Division I: Pickerington Central 45, Whitmer (Toledo) 40
Four months after losing in the D-I football state final, Pickerington Central captured its first D-I basketball state championship with a hard-fought, low-scoring win over Whitmer. Whitmer (24-3) was a D-I football state semifinalist as well, and the school's football pedigree showed on the court. The game was tied 10 times and neither team held a lead larger than five.

After Whitmer took a 37-36 lead with 3:34 to go, Pickerington Central (26-2) closed the game on a 9-3 run, hitting 7- of 10 free throws in the final 3 minutes.

Ohio University recruit Caris Levert led Pickerington Central with a game-high 20 points. Whitmer was led by Leroy Alexander's 19 points. Alexander is a Nebraska football recruit.

One intriguing matchup was in the post where a pair of Michigan defensive line recruits went at it in Whitmer senior Chris Wormley and Pickerington Central junior Taco Charlton. Wormley ended with two points and seven rebounds, while Charlton had six points and six rebounds.

Division III: Summit Country Day (Cincinnati) 53, Portsmouth (Ohio) 37
Michael Bradley had a lot of big moments during a career that took him to Kentucky, Villanova and the NBA, but the former first round draft pick of the Toronto Raptors had a basketball moment Saturday that rivaled any he's experienced before. Bradley, now the head coach at Summit Country Day, led the Silver Knights to their first state title in school history. SCD (26-1) led Portsmouth (25-3) wire-to-wire.

"Last night I showed (the team) a couple of my rings from Kentucky and I told them I'd trade them both in for one today," Bradley said. "This is the most satisfying win I've ever been a part of."

Defensively, the Silver Knights entered the state tournament allowing just 34 points per game. They again flexed their muscle at that end. SCD held Portsmouth to two first quarter points and allowed them over 10 in just one quarter.

Junior guard Kevin Johnson led SCD, which has just one senior on its roster, with 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Division IV: Hiland (Berlin, Ohio) 68, Jackson Center (Ohio) 36
Hiland became Ohio's first small school repeat champion since defunct Columbus Wehrle won three titles from 1988-1990. The Hawks (27-1) made history in dominating fashion. Hiland never trailed and led 36-16 at halftime. Jackson Center (27-1) never got the lead below 20 in the second half.

The trio of 6-5 Dylan Kaufman (University of Findlay), 6-7 Seger Bonifant (West Liberty University) and 6-7 Neil Gingerich again paved Hiland's way. The Hawks outscored Jackson Center 24-6 in the paint and 13-4 in second chance points. Seger had 18 points, while Kaufman had 17. Gingrich had 12 points, seven rebounds and six blocks.

"They had a great game," Hiland coach Mark Schlabach said. "But they've been great all year."

Hiland is one of Ohio's all-time great programs. The Hawks have made nine state tournaments and own three titles.